Energy: Soaring Fuel Prices Hit Construction Equipment.

Fuel prices are surging, giving construction something else to worry about besides the high cost of steel. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says gasoline's average price per gallon rose 29 cents and highway diesel's was up 17 cents from December 2003 levels. That hurts contractors who now must pay more to operate diesel-powered equipment and trucks, says Kenneth Simonson, the Associated General Contractors' economist. Democratic Senator of Massachusetts John Kerry says if he wins the presidential election, he'll press OPEC to drop its cut in output quotas and vows to stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until prices drop.