National fuel prices are trending upward, but the cost of fuel in Iowa remains about 7 cents per gallon below the national average, the Iowa Office of Energy Independence said yesterday. The Nov. 15 average price of 10 percent ethanol blended mid-grade gasoline in Iowa was $2.77 per gallon, which is 10 percent higher than the November 2009 price of $2.51 per gallon. The $3.04 average price of diesel fuel in the state was also up 10 percent in November from the year-earlier period. “Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and planned holiday travel and fuel demand is likely to blame for the upward price swing,” said Kerri Johannsen, a data analyst with the Iowa Office of Energy Independence.