Arizonans are feeling the pain at the pump. While gas prices are slowly trending down, the average price in Arizona is still higher than the national average. In March, oil companies warned the governor’s office that prices would go up if the state didn’t take action. The Western States Petroleum Association wrote a letter to Gov. Hobbs asking for a waiver from the EPA to allow additional gasoline blends to be sold in Arizona.
“We asked for this waiver with the idea that if we could bring in from other areas fuel for a short period of time, you could lower costs and still keep things on track with air emissions,” said Kevin Slagle, a spokesperson with WSPA.
The letter said equipment issues, weather, and refinery maintenance impacted our state’s supply. The waivers are typically granted during fuel supply emergencies and temporarily lift regulations put in place to protect our air quality.