If approved by the Senate, Trump’s pick for Energy Secretary, Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright, will be the first time the Department of Energy has had an executive in the energy industry lead it. In a statement on X, Wright said he’s “honored and grateful” for the opportunity.
Read the full storyTag: gas
Three GOP-Backed Candidates Sweep Open Seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission
Eight candidates competed for the three open seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission – three were registered Republicans in the race, three were Democrats and two were affiliated with the Green Party.
All three of those candidates endorsed by Arizona’s Republican party claimed the available seats with Rachel Walden receiving 17.89% of the votes, Rene Lopez receiving 17.37% and Incumbent Lea Marquez Peterson receiving 16.89% at 99% of precincts reporting.
Read the full storyBiden Admin Looks to Open Up 31 Million Acres for Solar After Locking Up Oil, Gas in Huge Swath of Alaska
The Biden administration proposed to open up tens of millions of acres of public lands to solar development on Thursday after cementing restrictions on oil and gas activity across large swaths of Alaska.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rolled out its proposed “Western Solar Plan,” which would put approximately 31 million acres across 11 western states on the table for possible solar development. The agency’s solar plan comes on the heels of its Tuesday announcement that it had finalized protections for 28 million acres of public land in Alaska that will effectively prohibit oil and gas activity on that acreage.
Read the full storyU.S. Oil, Gas Hit Record Production Despite Opposition from OPEC, Activists, and Biden Administration
The United States is producing more oil now than any nation in the world has ever produced. In 2008, the U.S. produced only 5 million barrels of oil a day. Last year, the country produced 13 million barrels daily.
The United States’ record-breaking production is often used to knock back the argument President Joe Biden’s energy policy aims to minimize domestic fuel fuel production – to cut carbon emission and make way for more renewable energy.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Consequences of Delaying Offshore Oil and Gas Lease Sales
Offshore drilling has been a cornerstone of global energy production since the 1800s, fueling the American way of life and powering the global economy. From the early days of “on-water-drilling” to the advancement of the fixed platform units of today, offshore drilling has consistently contributed around 30 percent of global oil production. In the U.S., supply on federal offshore lands in the Gulf of Mexico alone accounts for approximately 15 percent of total crude oil production.
Read the full storyReport: Inflation Continues to Impact Arizona Families
Inflation is still impacting families in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, according to a new Common Sense Institute report.
The free-market think tank’s May inflation update analyzed different price increases from 2020, which determined that prices across the board are still significantly higher.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Delusions of Davos and Dubai Surrounding Wind and Solar Energy
In the most recent “Conference of the Parties,” otherwise known as the United Nations extravaganza that convenes every few years for world leaders to discuss the climate crisis, several goals were publicly proclaimed. Notable were the goals to triple production of renewable energy by 2030 and triple production of nuclear energy by 2050. Against the backdrop of current global energy production by fuel type, and as quantified in Part One, against a goal of increasing total energy production from 600 exajoules in 2022 to at least 1,000 exajoules by 2050, where does COP 28’s goals put the world’s energy economy? How much will production of renewable energy have to increase?
To answer this question, it is necessary to recognize and account for the fact that most renewable energy takes the form of electricity, generated through wind, solar, or geothermal sources. And when measuring how much the base of renewables installed so far will contribute to the target of 1,000 exajoules of energy production per year in order to realize—best-case scenario—800 exajoules of energy services, the data reported in the Statistical Review of Global Energy is profoundly misleading.
Read the full storyCommentary: America Must Lead on Oil and Gas
Fifty years ago this week, legislation authorizing construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Richard Nixon.
The whole process took all of five days.
Read the full storyVirginia Gas Prices in Lower Tier Nationally
Today’s gas prices in Virginia are higher than a month ago but lower than a year ago and lower than the national average.
Unleaded regular is going for an average of $3.67 per gallon in the commonwealth; diesel for $4.19. The price is almost 30 cents higher than a month ago when gas was $3.41 per gallon, but it’s 20 cents less than today’s national average of $3.87.
Read the full storyTennessee Lawmaker Sponsors Bill to Lower American Energy Prices
Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has joined a group of her colleagues in introducing a bill that would repeal the $10.5 billion “Superfund Tax” on American energy production.
Read the full storyCommentary: EV Mandates Could Mean California-Style Backouts in Minnesota
California recently announced a ban on all gas-powered vehicles by 2035. This is a decision that will have wide ranging negative implications for Minnesotans.
Residents in the Gopher state may be curious how an administrative decision made halfway across the country will affect them, but the answer is relatively simple: last year Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) unilaterally finalized a rule to cede their regulatory authority over automobile emissions to regulators in the Golden State.
Read the full storyGas Guru Predicts Massive Price Increase at the Pump
Recent production cuts by OPEC are predicted to raise gas prices by 15 to 30 cents, according to energy analyst Patrick De Haan.
De Haan’s prediction, if accurate, will leave gas prices at an estimated $3.95 to $4.10 per gallon, according to U.S. gas averages recorded by AAA. While current gas prices are not directly tied to oil supply on a day-to-day basis, the dwindling gas supply in America will eventually feel a ripple effect as the oil supply continues to be reduced.
Read the full storyTop 10 Tough Votes Democrats Had to Take During Vote-a-Rama for Massive Spending Bill
During a “vote-a-rama” on their $739 billion reconciliation spending bill that has hundreds of billions for climate and health care programs, Democratic senators had to take a series of uncomfortable votes on hot-button issues — particularly tough for those representing swing states.
The bill, which also includes federal funding for 87,000 new IRS agents, passed on a party line vote 51-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie.
Read the full storyFinancial Analyst Liz Peek Talks Lying Biden, Inflation, Economy, Recession, and Europe’s Shaky Ground
Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Fox Business contributor and Wall Street expert Liz Peek on the newsmaker line to discuss the lies of President Biden, the lack of business skills in the White House, and the instability of Europe.
Read the full storySurvey: A Third of U.S. Small Businesses Can’t Pay Rent Because of Inflation
More than a third of small businesses can’t pay rent, newly released data shows.
The small business network Alignable released new survey results that found that 35% of U.S. small business owners “could not pay their rent in full or on time in June.”
Read the full storyEco Activists Sue to Stop U.S. Oil and Gas Lease Sales
Environmental groups sued the Interior Department Tuesday to challenge the first oil and gas lease sale on public lands during the Biden administration.
A coalition of environmental groups led by Dakota Resource Council filed a lawsuit in in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging that the sales violate the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, which requires that the Interior Department prevent “unnecessary or undue degradation” of public lands.
Read the full storyBiden Admin Considers Banning All Offshore Drilling as Energy Crisis Worsens: Report
The Biden administration is mulling the prospect of banning new American offshore oil and natural gas drilling projects as fuel prices continue to spike, The New York Times reported Thursday.
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, working closely with the White House to shape policy, will release its drafted five-year plan for new oil and gas drilling leases in federal waters to Congress by June 30, according to The New York Times, citing people familiar with the matter. The administration is likely to stop new offshore drilling projects in the Atlantic and the Pacific, and is considering whether to end leasing in the Arctic and Gulf of Mexico.
Read the full storyAs Ohio Gas Prices Surge, Vance Criticizes Ryan and Biden for Energy Policies
Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance criticized the energy and fiscal policies of his Democratic opponent and of the White House on Wednesday, blaming them for the steep gasoline prices Buckeyes now endure.
The average price of a regular gallon of gas in Ohio exceeded $5.00 on Wednesday. That’s a 118.91-percent increase over the $2.32-per-gallon average cost state motorists faced when President Joe Biden took office. In Vance’s estimation, “no one else” bears responsibility for this other than Biden and his “extreme allies in Congress like Tim Ryan (D-13).”
Read the full storyAverage U.S. Gas Price Surges to $4.85 a Gallon
In what has become a seemingly every day occurrence, gas prices rose to a new record high Sunday as the national average approaches $5 a gallon.
Nine states already have surpassed the $5 threshold, and several others are just pennies away.
According to AAA, the average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline reached $4.85 Sunday, up an additional three cents from Saturday and 24 cents from last week.
Read the full story‘Gasoline Misery Index’ Details Direct Impact of Record-High Gas Prices
The “Gasoline Misery Index” from the Metro Business Daily Network details the direct impact record-high gas prices have had on consumers across the United States.
Since President Joe Biden took office, prices of gas and other goods and services have continued to increase, as many peaked after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Read the full storyCalifornia May Give Up to $800 to Each Car Owner for Gas
In California, the state government is considering multiple options to provide relief for car owners who have to face the highest fuel prices in the nation, including handouts of up to $800 per person.
According to ABC News, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) announced on Wednesday a new proposal to combat rising gas prices. In addition to giving out debit cards with as much as $400 for each vehicle, up to two vehicles per person, the proposal includes a tax break, free rides on public transit, and efforts to promote alternative methods of transportation.
Read the full storyMichigan Lawmaker: Slashing Gas Sales Tax ‘a Requirement, Not an Option’
Suspension of Michigan’s 6% sales tax on gasoline through March 1, 2023 has been proposed by Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich.
The bill is in response to record gas prices caused by inflation and international conflict that brought trade restrictions. Gas prices, less than $3 a gallon just over a year ago, have soared past $4 per gallon.
Read the full storyJanet Yellen Defends Sustainable Investing Craze That’s Trying to End U.S. Oil and Gas Drilling
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen defended sustainable investing practices and climate change policies that have negatively impacted U.S. oil and gas drilling in an interview Friday.
“I don’t think that the ESG movement and the emphasis on climate change is creating the problems that we have,” Yellen told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Friday morning when asked if investors need to rethink their stance on fossil fuels. “If anything, the problem is that we haven’t moved as rapidly as we should have.”
Read the full storyGov. Whitmer Vetoes $2.5 Billion in Tax Relief
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed a GOP bill that aimed to provide $2.5 billion in tax breaks by dropping the personal income tax rate from 4.25% to 3.9%, saying it would blow a “hole” in her $74 billion budget.
“It would force tax hikes on families or deep and painful cuts to services, hurt our children’s ability to catch up in school, force layoffs of cops and firefighters, and kneecap our ability to keep fixing crumbling roads,” Whitmer wrote in her veto letter.
Read the full storyBiden Administration Backtracks on Media Reports Signaling Oil, Gas Leasing Resumption
The Biden administration backtracked on reports that it is resuming the federal oil and gas leasing program in light of a recent appeals court decision.
On Friday, Reuters reported that the Department of the Interior (DOI), the agency tasked with overseeing the leasing program, was planning to resume the previously-delayed program. But a DOI spokesperson pushed back on the report, saying it overstated the administration’s position that it would begin planning the next steps, not that it had already resumed the program.
Read the full storyCommentary: All of Joe Biden’s Multitude of Failures Were Foreseeable in 2020
Every single one of senile president Joe Biden’s struggles was easily foreseeable.
It’s a bold statement, since many if not most of the issues that confront a new president can’t always be seen from a distance. If it can be said that elections are always about the future, it’s just as true to claim that the future would almost certainly be shaped by yet unseen events and circumstances that no politician could forthrightly discuss in the lead-up to his victory.
Read the full storyCommentary: Net-Zero and ESG Are Worsening the Energy Crisis – and Weakening the West
The day after President Biden announced that the United States would ban imports of Russian oil and gas, a group of eleven powerful European investment funds that includes Amundi, Europe’s largest asset manager, outlined plans to force Credit Suisse, Switzerland’s second largest bank, to cut its lending to oil and gas companies. The juxtaposition of these two events dramatizes the fundamental disunity of the West. At the same time as the Biden administration is sanctioning Russian oil and gas producers, Western investors are sanctioning Western ones. Under the banner of ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing, the West’s capital is being deployed to create an artificial shortage of oil and gas produced by its companies and reward non-Western oil and gas producers such as Russia and Iran with higher prices. In doing so, the West is undermining its own security interests.
Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy markets were already extremely tight. In the past, high oil and gas prices stimulated a supply-side response leading to increased output and to prices falling back. This relationship has broken down. According to analysts at JP Morgan, capital spending by S&P Global 1200 energy companies peaked in 2015 at just over $400 billion and shrank to around $120 billion last year – less than half its previous trough of $250 billion in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, even though global demand is now around 15% higher than it was then.
Read the full storyBiden in Trouble with Voters on Job Approval, Inflation, Ukraine: Poll
A new poll conducted by Insider Advantage for the Center for American Greatness shows Biden in big trouble with voters. 54% of likely voters disapprove of Biden’s job approval versus 42% who approve. Worse, this survey shows that only 36% approve of his handling of Ukraine. Other highlights from the survey are the 64% of people who believe high gas prices should be solved by eliminating Biden’s restrictions on pumping American oil and gas.
Perhaps most troubling, and portending more difficulty in the future for the country is the question that asked, “How much is rising inflation in the cost of goods and services impacting you and your family?” 85% of respondents said that inflation is having a “significant” impact on them and their families. Inflation, of course, is bad for the country, especially the middle class. But the politics of it spell trouble for Democrats whose policies have increased and accelerated the inflation currently beggaring the nation.
Read the full storyRussia Reverses Gas Flow via Key Pipeline Serving Europe
Part of a key pipeline transporting natural gas from Russia to Europe suddenly reversed its flow direction Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Flows in the Yamal-Europe pipeline, which sends natural gas to Germany via Poland, were recorded going eastward away from Europe on Tuesday morning, data from the European firm Gascade showed, Reuters reported, citing data from German network operator Gascade. Flows leaving Germany were moving at a whopping 4.3 million kilowatt-hours per hour at one section of the pipeline.
Read the full storyCommentary: Five Facts on the Russian Oil Import Ban
1. Oil and gas proceeds fund more than one-third of the entire Russian federal budget.
Russia produces 12% of the world’s oil. Its economy is strongly dependent on its publicly owned oil and gas sector — which employs about 2.5 million people, and generates an average of $191 million in revenue every day for the Kremlin.
Read the full storyNewt Gingrich Commentary: Biden Helping Dictators and Harming Americans
When the Biden administration appeals to Iran, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia for oil but rejects American and Canadian oil and gas production, there is something profoundly wrong.
Why does Joe Biden think dictators are better than Americans? Why send money to Iran instead of Oklahoma – or to Venezuela instead of Texas? If he wants to send money outside the United States, why not send money to Canada rather than Saudi Arabia?
Read the full storyAnalysis: White House Keeps Misleading Public on Oil, Gas Leasing
The White House has repeatedly suggested the private sector can boost oil supply amid surging gas prices, but industry groups have countered that the administration has placed hurdles for new drilling.
“There are 9,000 unused, approved drilling permits,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday. “So I would suggest you ask the oil companies why they’re not using those if there’s a desire to drill more.”
Read the full storyCommentary: ‘Wokeness’ on Energy Is Weakness
As Joe Biden’s approval numbers sink further into the sewer, the only thing he’s building back better is 1970s-style inflation. Up until Biden, most polls usually named Jimmy Carter as one of the weakest and most inept presidents we’ve ever had. That was until Biden showed up and said, “Hold my beer!” Which you have to know has brought so much joy to Carter. Heck, he probably has a set of “Let’s go Brandon!” PJs that he wears every night as he thanks God for the gift of Biden.
Fact is, this country is now being “led” by a man who absolutely will go down as one of the worst presidents in our history. In just over a year, Biden has brought inflation roaring back to levels not seen in 40 years, has destroyed our southern border as millions of illegal aliens, along with Chinese fentanyl, flood the country, and now we have been involved in two major international debacles with Afghanistan and Ukraine. The list could go on, but perhaps that’s too depressing.
Rest assured, however, it’s not going to get better. Biden is like the anti-Midas, turning everything he touches into crap.
Read the full storyGas Prices Set to Skyrocket After Oil Soars Beyond $100 for the First Time Since 2014
The worldwide price of crude oil skyrocketed to more than $100 per barrel for the first time since 2014 as Russia launched a full-scale offensive against Ukraine.
The Brent crude index, the global oil benchmark, hit $101.66 per barrel Thursday morning, surging more than 4% overnight. The U.S. WTI index skyrocketed nearly 7% to $98.69 per barrel Thursday, its highest level since 2014.
Read the full storyAs Gas Prices Continue to Soar, Tennessee Prices Remain Below National Average
The national average for a gallon of gas has surged to $3.44, the highest average price since 2014, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). The new average is 14 cents more than it was a month ago and 98 cents more than it was a year ago.
Read the full storyCommentary: Biden Is Making Russia Great Again
Under former President Donald J. Trump, for the first time in decades, the United States became a net exporter of natural gas and oil. That helped to keep global energy prices relatively low. It also gave the United States leverage over the international system in ways it had not enjoyed since before the 1970s.
Alas, the propagation of the novel coronavirus from Wuhan, China, along with the ceaseless lies of the Western “mainstream” media made such a prosperous and secure future under Trump an impossibility.
In the eight months since assuming office under a cloud of controversy, Joe Biden has done more to harm America’s inherent strategic advantages in the global energy market than any U.S. rival could have imagined. Under Biden, the United States has gone from being a net exporter of global energy to begging the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to produce more oil for the world to consume.
Read the full storyBiden Gears Up for Renewed Fight Against Oil and Gas
A federal judge has ruled the Biden administration must resume allowing oil and gas leasing on federal land and waters, but the administration is saying it will not go down without a fight.
The Biden administration said it will appeal a court ruling allowing the leases, the latest development in a months-long battle between President Joe Biden and the oil and gas industry, even as gas prices continue to rise.
Read the full storyFlorida Braces for Booming, Banging Return to July 4th ‘Normal’
Independence Day 2020 was a lackluster affair for many, made all the sadder by attempts to celebrate July 4 amid pandemic-induced isolation without the parades, public firework shows and other communal and family gatherings that traditionally accompany the summer holiday.
The city of Miami and others staged “virtual fireworks displays” and at least 60 Florida communities made attempts to stage public events, including socially distanced parades, but with about 80% of traditional observations canceled, July 4, 2020, was nothing to celebrate.
Not so for July 4, 2021.
Read the full storyGas Prices Hit Seven-Year High Ahead of July Fourth Weekend
As Americans prepare to hit the road for Independence Day weekend, gas prices hit a seven-year high.
An expected 43.6 million Americans are set to hit the road this holiday weekend, and they’ll pay the most they have to fill up their tank since 2014, the American Automobile Association (AAA) says.
Read the full storyFlorida Gas Prices Up 48 Percent over Last 12 Months
According to publicly available data, average gas prices in Florida have increased approximately 48.0% over the last 12 months. The current price of a gallon of regular gas, as of June 20, was $2.96. This is up from $2.00 per gallon reported one year ago.
The chart below shows the 12-months trend of average gas prices for the United States and Florida. Since March 11, 2021, the average price of gas in Florida has trended below the national average. As of June 20, the U.S. average is $3.07 per gallon.
Read the full storyFederal Judge Orders Biden Administration to Halt Oil and Gas Leasing Ban
A federal judge ordered the federal government to halt its ban on new oil and gas leases in a major setback for President Joe Biden’s administration.
Judge Terry Doughty, of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, granted a preliminary injunction that had been requested by a large coalition of Republican state attorneys general in an order released Tuesday evening. The Department of Interior is prohibited from enforcing the oil and gas leasing ban until the case is concluded, according to the order.
Read the full storyPipeline Hack Revives Call for Florida to Create Its Own Stash of Gas
The ransomware attack that paralyzed the Colonial Pipeline for nearly a week, causing gas shortages throughout the Southeast, including Florida’s Panhandle, may revive one senator’s multi-year effort to convince the Sunshine State to establish its own petroleum stockpile.
Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point, has filed bills since 2018 seeking to create a Florida Strategic Fuel Reserve Task Force to study creating a fuel stash similar in concept, if not in size, to the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Farmer Thursday called on Republican statehouse leaders to add his 2021 proposal, Senate Bill 1454, to the agenda when the Legislature convenes Monday for a special session to vet a proposed 30-year gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
Read the full storyGas Shortage and Price Hike Expected This Summer
A gas shortage is expected this summer not because there won’t be enough fuel but because there aren’t enough highly trained and licensed tanker drivers to transport it.
Many tanker drivers retired last year after demand for oil and gas plummeted because fewer people were traveling during the height of the pandemic. And most driving schools where new drivers could have received their training were closed due to state-mandated shutdowns. The two factors combined is resulting in a shortage of roughly 25% of tanker truck drivers needed to transport fuel, says the National Tank Truck Carriers, the trade association representing the tanker truck industry.
Read the full storyCalifornia Gas Prices Reach High of $3.27 a Gallon, 66 Cents More Than National Average
California gasoline prices reached the highest they’ve been since March 9, 2020, hitting $3.27 a gallon, according to a new gasoline benchmark published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
California gas prices are roughly 66 cents more than average price paid by consumers nationwide.
Read the full storyUS Tries to Seize Iranian Gas Heading Toward Venezuela
U.S. federal prosecutors are seeking to seize four tankers sailing toward Venezuela with gasoline supplied by Iran, the latest attempt to disrupt ever-closer trade ties between the two heavily sanctioned anti-American allies.
The civil-forfeiture complaint filed late Wednesday in the District of Columbia federal court alleges that the sale was arranged by a businessman, Mahmoud Madanipour, with ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization.
Read the full storyMichigan Refineries Warn of Fuel Shortages and Price Increases if Line 5 Closure Continues
Shutting down the Line 5 pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac – even if only temporarily – will send adverse effects rippling throughout Michigan, other areas of the Midwest and, as well, Ontario and Quebec.
That’s according to not only Enbridge, which operates Line 5, but also the refineries that rely on the pipeline to supply the fuel provided to consumers at the fuel pump and such major customers as Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
Read the full storyIndustry Report Touts Oil and Gas Contributions in Minnesota Economy
A new study by the American Petroleum Institute (API) credits Minnesota’s strong economy and job creation, in part, to the abundance of affordable fuels wrought by the country’s shale boom recognized through hydraulic fracturing, also called fracking.
Read the full storyMore Local Governments in Colorado Pass Moratoriums on Oil and Gas Development Because of New Regulations
by Derek Draplin Berthoud and Broomfield are the latest local governments in Colorado to implement a moratorium on oil and gas development following passage of new industry regulations signed into law last month. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the state’s regulatory body, issued “objective criteria” that will require additional review of drilling permits, potentially delaying development projects across the state. The criteria includes any applications for oil and gas within a municipality, locations within 2,000 feet of a school, locations within 2,000 feet of occupied buildings, and locations within floodplains or water resource areas. COGCC will now be able to use the 16 criteria to delay permit approvals. “The Director [Jeff Robbins] may delay specific permit determinations until the Director is satisfied that the permit complies with the intent of SB 19-181. If the Director determines that a permit meets the intent of SB 19-181, the Director may approve the permit prior to completion of the referenced rulemakings,” guidance on the criteria said. The bill, signed by Gov. Jared Polis last month, changes the commission’s mission to prioritize environment, health and safety over industry development. The new law also gives local governments more say in regulating the oil and gas industry. Local…
Read the full storyGas Prices Spike as Ohio Legislature Approves Gas Tax Hike
The American Automobile Association (AAA) announced Monday that only three months into 2019, the nation’s average gas price has spiked by almost 45 cents. Ohio prices increased as well, but by slightly less than the national average. While Ohioans may be relieved, experts are predicting that these price increases are expected to continue indefinitely. According to AAA, the current average gas price is $2.69 for regular unleaded gas. Though this is far from the historical high of $4.16 in May of 2011, it’s still more expensive than gas has been in the previous three years. At the state level: The nation’s top 10 largest weekly increases are: Florida (+13 cents), California (+12 cents), Indiana (+11 cents), Georgia (+11 cents), Idaho (+9 cents), Kentucky (+9 cents), Washington (+9 cents), Oregon (+8 cents), Nevada (+8 cents) and Ohio (+8 cents). “Three months ago motorists could find gas for less than $2.50 at 78 percent of gas stations. Today, you can only find gas for that price at one-third of stations, which is likely giving sticker shock to motorists across the country,” AAA spokesperson Jeanette Casselano said. “Gasoline stocks have been steadily decreasing since early February causing spikes at the pump that are likely…
Read the full storyOhio Department Of Transportation Introduces Comprehensive Gas Tax that Could Increase Every Year
Friday, Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jack Marchbanks formally introduced the proposed 2020-21 Biennial Budget. House Bill 62 (HB 62), the budget’s formal designation, includes an 18-cent gas tax increase. While lower than some reports have suggested, the proposed tax will give Ohio one of the highest gas tax rates in the country. In addition, it contains a provision that could raise gas taxes even higher in the coming years. The 18 cent tax would go into effect immediately upon passage. When measured against other states, this is an exceptionally aggressive approach. When Nebraska voted to raise its takes, it did so in increments of 1.6 cents per year. A more incremental approach could ensure Ohioans don’t face “sticker shock” at the pump. The bill would also tie the gas tax rate to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). At the start of every fiscal year, the tax will be reexamined and if the CPI has increased, the tax will increase with it. While it would ensure that road repair is adequately funded, there is a significant drawback. As written, the law does not stipulate that the gas tax would decrease, should the CPI decrease. if the Ohio economy faces a sudden hardship or enters a recession, Ohioans would…
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