'Removing the shackles': Major proposal could lower gas prices in this state
A legislative proposal in Arizona hopes to lower gas prices amid a recent appeal to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin.
Currently, federal ozone attainment standards have prompted parts of the state, especially heavily populated Maricopa County, to use a "boutique" blend of gasoline since 1997, and it is the only place in the country that has done so.
The legislative proposal would make it state law for other types of gasoline blends to be used aside from the specific winter and summer blends currently allowed, as it would be what is available in other states.
Gas prices in the Grand Canyon State are currently among the highest in the country at $3.33 per gallon on average on Tuesday, according to AAA. In Maricopa County, that average is roughly 20 cents higher.
"Modeling shows that 80% of the ozone in Maricopa County travels here from outside the state. This includes wildfires, pollution from Mexico, and emissions from California," President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope said in a statement. "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."
Similar legislation was worked on in the legislature last year, but the renewed push on the issue comes as Senate President Warren Petersen recently met with Zeldin.
"Following that meeting, Administrator Zeldin publicly raised our concerns about being punished for emissions outside of our control, and he committed to ensuring air quality will be protected while allowing us to grow the economy," Petersen said in a statement.
"HB 2300 is the first step in removing the shackles off Arizona and positions us to reduce gas prices quickly, in coordination with upcoming action from Administrator Zeldin on behalf of the Trump Administration. Providing multiple fuel options allows the market to compete during unexpected shortages and will help keep gas prices low for Arizona drivers."
Some Democrats have argued the legislation would pose an environmental risk and "does nothing to lower gas prices."
"House Bill 2300 weakens Arizona's clean air protections by changing the rules for gasoline standards in certain areas. Here's why that's a problem: It could lead to more air pollution as this bill puts gas companies over public health," State Sen. Rosanna Gabaldón said in a statement after the bill passed out of committee.
"Current fuel standards help keep our air cleaner, especially in cities with high traffic. Loosening these rules could make pollution worse. It would allow for more loopholes for gas suppliers. Instead of sticking to proven fuel standards, the bill opens the door for changes that may not meet strict environmental guidelines," she continued.
On March 12, Zeldin released a statement saying that there have been various complaints nationwide about communities being penalized for air quality regulations they can do little about. If the bill were to be signed into law by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, the EPA would still need to clear those blends through the State Implementation Plan, which Zeldin's office says there's a "backlog" of.
"The Biden Administration's focus on ideological pursuits instead of the agency's core mission and statutory duties resulted in a delay in air quality improvement. With more than 140 million Americans living in nonattainment areas around the country, cooperative federalism and clearing out the State Implementation Plan backlog will make significant strides to improving the air we breathe," Zeldin said in a statement at the time.
The EPA did not respond in time for publication.
"We are still evaluating the legislation so nothing to share at the moment," a spokesperson for Hobbs' office told Fox News Digital.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘Coward' Elon Musk Mocked On His Own Platform After Bending The Knee To Trump
Elon Musk went into damage-control mode early Wednesday as he tried to mend fences with President Donald Trump after their spectacular falling-out last week. And his critics are mocking his public show of fealty on his own platform. Musk spent some $291 million during the 2024 election cycle, most notably to help Trump, according to and became a constant presence by his side. Once in office, Trump put Musk in charge of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency to cut government spending. But Musk left his role, attacked Trump's signature 'big, beautiful bill' as a 'disgusting abomination,' and went scorched-earth against his one-time ally in a series of posts on X last week. Musk wrote that Trump won't release the files of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein because the president is named in them, shared a post in support of impeaching Trump and replacing him with Vice President JD Vance, and floated the creation of a third political party. Trump, in turn, threatened repercussions for Musk's businesses and warned him of 'serious consequences' if he backed Democrats for office. But Musk blinked on Wednesday. He wrote that he regretted some of his posts about Trump and said some of them 'went too far.' He also deleted many of those messages. His critics fired back: 'They Went Too Far': Elon Musk Just Walked Back Some Of His Explosive Criticism Of Trump Trump Reveals What's Next For That Tesla He Bought From Elon Musk Trump Mocked After Suffering Awkward Brain Fart While Trying To Insult Biden
Fox News
26 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' cracks down on Biden's student loan 'scheme,' top Republican says
The chairman of a key Senate panel is claiming victory against former President Joe Biden's student loan plans as part of President Donald Trump's "one big, beautiful bill." "The Biden administration was attempting to forgive student loans for people who willingly took on the loan and required the taxpayer, including people who never went to college and would never make what the person who took the loan would ever have the hope to make," Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., told Fox News Digital. "So we end that transfer of that student loan on the taxpayers, and that's probably our biggest savings." Cassidy's committee released its portion of the Trump agenda bill late on Tuesday. A press release for the legislation said it "ends Biden's student loan schemes that transfer debt onto the 87 percent of Americans who chose to not go to college or already paid off their loans" and "also prevents future Democrat administrations from implementing schemes." The bill specifically takes aim at Biden's expansion of Borrower Defense to Repayment regulations and Closed School Discharge regulations, which Republicans have held up as costly policies that shift federal student loan borrowers' burdens onto other taxpayers. Various versions of Biden's plans had previously been struck down in court. The bill would also eliminate federal Grad PLUS loans, a program used by graduate-level and professional students to pay for their studies, which can be used for graduate students' entire cost of attendance. It would instead keep in place a $20,500 annual limit for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans on graduate degrees, capped at $100,000 total, excluding undergraduate loans. For professional degrees, it keeps a $50,000 annual unsubsidized loan limit and a $200,000 total cap. The legislation is also aimed at cracking down on taxpayer funding subsidizing degrees from lower-performing universities. Colleges that see people with undergraduate degrees earn less than the typical high school graduate in their state, or graduate programs where attendees then earn less than the normal bachelor's recipient, would be blocked from federal student loan programs. "What we've got was a situation where people can borrow more money than they can effectively pay back, and that destroys their life, leaving them with a debt burden which keeps them unable to do other things in life. And there's at least some sense that universities offering these programs know that's the case. And so we attempt to fix that," Cassidy said. "So we have provisions that would say that if the degree being acquired does not end up paying more, the person receiving that degree doesn't get more on average than a person who did not get that degree, then the federal government is not going to lend them money." To encourage more people to pursue non-collegiate degrees, the bill would also establish a Workforce Pell Grant. Pell Grants are currently aimed at low-income students pursuing bachelor's degrees and are generally not repaid. "For example, a student gets a commercial driver's license. They're going to go out and make $100,000 a year after a couple of years of driving, I am told. And so we want to enable those people to accomplish that," Cassidy said. Foreign income would be taken into account when evaluating Pell Grants, while farm and small business assets would not, under the GOP bill. Those and several other measures in the legislation would add up to roughly $300 billion in taxpayer savings, Cassidy said. Senate Republicans are currently working through their version of Trump's massive agenda bill, which passed the House late last month. Republicans are using the budget reconciliation process to pass a sweeping bill advancing Trump's agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt. They are also working to use it to bring down the national debt – nearing $37 trillion – with the aim of cutting $1.5 trillion in federal spending. Reconciliation allows the party in power to completely skirt the minority, in this case Democrats, by lowering the Senate's threshold to advance from 60 votes to 51. The legislation must adhere to a specific set of rules, however, including measures that deal with the budget, taxation, or the national debt. Both the House and Senate must agree to identical versions of the bill before it gets to Trump's desk for a signature. The House's version passed 215 to 214, and leaders there have implored the upper chamber to change as little as possible. Cassidy acknowledged there were some changes made but was optimistic about how they'll be met in the House. "There's several things, but one thing I think that they're going to like is that we do fully fund the Pell Grant program. You know, we address the shortfall there. And so I think they're going to like it," he said. "It's going to give low-income students access to career education. We need those kind of career type jobs to make sure that all this manufacturing and construction has a workforce to address it. And so we think it helps the needs of society. We think it helps the needs of the student." House and Senate GOP leaders had previously set a goal of having a bill on Trump's desk by the Fourth of July. Cassidy declined to comment on whether that was a feasible benchmark but argued that lawmakers should be ready to extend that timeline – and possibly shrink their summer recess – to get the final product. "As far as I'm concerned, the most important thing is to get it right. So if there is a delay, the president said it today – if there is a delay, that's not that big of a deal. The most important thing is we get it right," he said.
USA Today
30 minutes ago
- USA Today
Marines in LA, response to Ukraine: Recap of Hegseth hearings
Marines in LA, response to Ukraine: Recap of Hegseth hearings Hegseth may also face questions this week about the costly military parade set for June 14 in Washington, D.C. WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing questions from Congress for the first time since he took over at the Pentagon. The Capitol Hill hearings, beginning on June 10, began with clashes with Democratic lawmakers and confrontations over his war on DEI, the recent deployment of troops to Los Angeles protests and the Trump administration's response to the war in Ukraine. More: Amid LA deployment, Hegseth falsely attacks Tim Walz over 2020 George Floyd riots Defense Secretary Hegseth grilled by Congress over LA protests A House subcommittee grilled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over Marines and National Guard being sent to Los Angeles. More: Not that Benning: Hegseth renames Fort Moore, but not for Confederate general, he says Hegseth, a former Fox News host, last faced down Senators during his confirmation hearing in January, when senators on the Armed Services Committee grilled him over reports of his heavy drinking and a sexual assault allegation and his views that women should not serve in combat roles. After nearly six months of Hegseth running the Pentagon, lawmakers have more fodder for questions, including Hegseth's overturning of military diversity initiatives and firing of high-ranking women, his use of Signal to message Yemen attack plans, and the announcement a day earlier that 700 Marines were deployed to Los Angeles to quell protests over deportations. Hegseth testified alongside Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His first hearing, at the House Appropriations Committee, is a budget hearing, but sparks flew, prompted in part by the administration's actions in recent weeks. More: Trump's getting his military parade. Here's what they look like from France to Russia Here's a rundown of what went on at the hearing. Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar sparred with Hegseth about the National Guard troops who have deployed to Los Angeles, saying the troops "have not been provided food or water" by the Defense Department. Calling Aguilar's questions a "disingenuous attack," Hegseth shot back, saying, "We are assured they're housed, fed, water capabilities in real time from my office." He said the troops would stay at least 60 days to "ensure that those rioters, looters and thugs on the other side assaulting our police officers know that we're not going anywhere." Pressed by Aguilar about what authority allowed the Trump administration to send the troops to Los Angeles, Hegseth deflected. "If you've got millions of illegals, you don't know where they're coming from, they're waving flags from foreign countries and assaulting police officers and law enforcement officers – that's the problem," he said. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom "has failed to protect his people," Hegseth said. A question about new restrictions on the use of pronouns and gender identifiers in the military prompted a swift retort from the Defense secretary. "Men are men, women are women" in the military. and people signing up won't get a "woke indoctrination," Hegseth said. He said if they want that, they can go to college. The comments came in response to a question from Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who said it was "not a priority" for people enlisting in the military to use their preferred pronouns. Hegseth said the United States was entering a new "phase" in which the National Guard would "become a critical component of how we secure that homeland." "The National Guard is a huge component of how we see the future," he said. Hegseth has deployed thousands of troops to Los Angeles in recent days to suppress protests against the Trump administration's deportations. He has faced criticism from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats who have said the troops are adding fuel to the fire and are not being put to good use. Responding to an accusation from Rep. Ed Case, a Democrat from Hawaii, that the Trump administration "has illegally sought to destroy" the United States Agency for International Development, Hegseth he had not heard any complaints from other countries over the elimination of the agency and U.S. foreign aid programs because "a lot of them were wasteful and duplicative." "I hear nothing about that because they're not serving U.S. interests." "I don't think you're talking to the right people," Case said. Pressed by Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat representing Ohio, about what he is doing to "not turn your back" on Ukraine, Hegseth said his goal was to achieve peace. He said he would need to "clarify what win means" in the war in Ukraine. "Have you visited Ukraine?" Kaptur hit back. Hegseth said he had not. Rep. Betty McCollum, a Democrat from Minnesota, pressed Hegseth over the military's recent deployment of troops in response to protests over ICE arrests in Los Angeles. "This is a deeply unfair position to put our Marines in," she said of the Pentagon's deployment of 700 Marines to the region a day prior. Hegseth invoked the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, saying Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz "abandoned a police precinct and allowed it to be burned to the ground." "President Trump recognizes a situation like that, improperly handled by a governor, like it was by Governor Walz... If it gets out of control, it's a bad situation for the citizens of any location." Hegseth said he and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine plan to discuss Ukraine's drone attack on Russia and how the United States can avoid a similar attack. Hegseth said the Pentagon would consider increasing counter-drone systems and that "golden dome" – the Trump administration's multi-billion-dollar missile defense plan – would contribute. "I do think it was a bold move, and it represents a new and different way of fighting wars," Caine said. Hegseth said eliminating an office that tests new technologies was a "reflection of the overall approach we take in the department, which is, 'How efficiently do we operate?'" Hegseth said after a review he led along with "our friends at DOGE" - Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, the office was eliminated. The office was "bloated and expanded well beyond" its appropriate scope, he said. In his opening statement, the Defense secretary stayed within the lines of his stated mission of "restoring the warrior ethos." "DEI is dead," he said, nodding to the diversity initiatives he has wiped out at the Pentagon. "We must overcome decades of neglect and decline," he said. "We must fortify our position as the world's most lethal fighting force, and we must act fast." (This story was updated to include video.)
