Gallego urges Trump to address rising gas prices in Arizona

In a letter sent Thursday, Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego urged the White House to address Arizona’s rising gas prices.

He wrote in a letter to Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, that the Trump administration needs to address the increase in gas prices and the unique situation Arizona consumers are in.

The cost of an average gallon in Phoenix has climbed nearly 60 cents in the last month, to $3.40. Julian Paredes, an AAA spokesperson for Arizona, said the national average is now $3.16. He also said the main cause of the price spike is refinery maintenance, which is expected to wrap up in a few weeks.

"Some of it was scheduled," Paredes said. "Some refineries were expected to go down, but there was an additional one that went down unexpectedly due to a fire. Having that additional refinery go down did damage on top of everything else."

Gallego pointed out that each summer, Arizona transitions to a more expensive blend of gas that’s required to mitigate air pollution. He asked the Trump administration to consider allowing the state to use comparable blends that are less expensive.

Gage Skidmore/CC BY 2.0

"Since most of this boutique gasoline comes from out of state, delivery disruptions are unfortunately relatively common and cause prices to skyrocket," Gallego wrote in his letter.

Arizona uses a blend of gas known as Cleaner Burning Gas, which is meant to mitigate pollution and protect air quality in the state. There are different formulations used in the summer and the winter.

Paredes also said Maricopa County has the most expensive gas in Arizona, averaging around $3.64 per gallon, while Greenlee County has the cheapest, at $3.05.

"As we work to uphold existing agreements between Arizona and the EPA, and to protect our state's air quality, we must also ensure that we are keeping consumers in mind," Gallego wrote. "Arizona's families and business owners should not have to pay almost a dollar more than people in other states because of CBG."