The price at the pump for a gallon of diesel rose 3.5 cents to $1.251 in the past week, according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy. The price has risen 9.7 cents since the last week of February. The price at the pump has not been this high since Thanksgiving 2001, when it reached $1.252, the department's Energy Information Administration said. Drivers in California are paying the highest price, $1.416, while drivers in the Gulf Coast ($1.218), Lower Atlantic ($1.226) and Midwest ($1.228) states are paying the lowest.