Arizona lawmakers look at way to prevent gas price hikes

(The Center Square) — Republicans in the Arizona Legislature say they're working to keep gas prices down.

The party, which holds majorities in the Senate and House, is considering legislation that would allow Maricopa County — the state's most populous county with more than 4.5 million people and its biggest city, Phoenix — to use gas blends with formulas being used in neighboring states.

The Senate Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee was scheduled Tuesday afternoon to hear Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope's proposed amendment to House Bill 2300 to expand the list of approved blends, which Republicans say would prevent price hikes. (Republican Rep. Leo Biasiucci is the sponsor of HB 2300.)

Arizona law currently requires drivers in Maricopa County to use a blend called "Cleaner Burning Gas" during the spring and summer to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's clean air requirements for ozone attainment. According to an Arizona Senate Republican Caucus news release, the state is the only one using this blend, which is produced outside Arizona.

When routine disruptions prevent the blend from entering the state, the result is price increases, Republicans said.

Gas Tuesday in Arizona cost an average of $3.34 a gallon, slightly above the national average of $3.14, according to AAA. Maricopa County, which has been seeing the state's highest price, saw an average of $3.54 a gallon.

While Arizonans are no longer experiencing gas at the $4 and $5 a gallon levels from recent years, they're still paying about $1 a gallon more than in 2020, Senate Republicans said.

"Modeling shows that 80% of the ozone in Maricopa County travels here from outside of the state. This includes wildfires, pollution from Mexico and emissions from California," said Shope, R-Coolidge. "Even if 4 million gas burning cars were removed from our roads, Arizona would still not attain the impossible ozone standards set by the EPA."

Senate President Warren Petersen has asked EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin that Arizonans not be penalized for something the state didn't cause.

In a news release, the EPA said it would work with and not against states to help them protect their air quality while they expand their economies.

Petersen said HB 2300 is the first step toward Arizona becoming able to reduce gas prices, coupled with Zeldin's upcoming action.

The nation's highest gas prices continue to be in California, which saw an average of $4.65 a gallon Tuesday, according to AAA. The second highest average Tuesday, $4.53 a gallon, was in Hawaii.