Federal and State Governments Look for Gas Price Relief

By Jeff Lenard

As gas prices continue to climb upward, currently sitting at $3.91 and up 98 cents over the past month according to AAA, elected officials are looking at how they can provide some relief to constituents.

On Thursday, the Georgia Senate suspended the approximately 33.3-cent state gas tax, according to WRDW. The bill, which was passed by the Georgia House on Wednesday, is expected to be signed by Governor Brian Kemp. If signed, the bill would suspend the state gas tax for 60 days.

The Georgia governor had previously signed executive orders suspending the state gas tax on three different occasions, most recently in October 2024 following Hurricane Helene.

Similar legislation seems unlikely to pass in neighboring Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis expressed skepticism about pausing the state’s gas tax. “Our ability to influence fuel prices are really marginal,” he said, according to Politico.

On Fox News Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the Trump Administration is considering another release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. A week ago, the 32 members of the International Energy Agency announced a collective release of 400 million barrels from their emergency reserves. The United States announced that it was releasing approximately 170 million barrels, approximately 43%, of that total. “The U.S. could unilaterally do another SPR release to keep the price down,” said Bessent.

On Wednesday, the Trump Administration announced that it was temporarily suspending the Jones Act, which requires ships that transport goods between two U.S. ports be U.S.-flagged ships built in the U.S. and with American crews. “This action will allow vital resources like oil, natural gas, fertilizer and coal to flow freely to U.S. ports for sixty days,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X.

It remains to be seen what other moves the Trump Administration or the states will make to address rising gas prices. OPIS Chief Oil Analysis Denton Cinquegrana discussed the likelihood of other options in an upcoming NACS Convenience Matters podcast that will be released on Monday, March 23. Cinquegrana is also a featured speaker at the April 14–16 NACS State of the Industry Summit, the industry’s only event where convenience retailers gain access to the newest industry metrics and insights.

NACS has been active in communicating the industry’s voice related to current gas prices.

Here are a few backgrounders on fuels that may be of interest to share online or with consumers concerned about gas prices:

• What goes into gas prices (during normal times): Factors That Affect Gas Prices
• Who sells gas in the U.S. (there are probably about 150,000 fueling stations and 122,000 of them are convenience stores): Convenience Stores Sell the Most Gas
• A short blog written at the beginning of the current price spike: What Happens to Gas Prices When Oil Prices Rise?
• An explanation of the broader spring transition: Seasonal Gas Prices Explained
• Finally, while there are some tactics that the Trump Administration is pursuing to address higher prices, history has shown that the president doesn’t have much ability to lower prices at the pump: Does the President Control Gas Prices?

A complete listing of fuels-related resources is in the NACS Fuels Resource Center.