PHOENIX — The federal government is easing some restrictions on fuel types during the summer to try and alleviate the pressure of surging gas prices.
This week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a temporary fuel waiver allowing E15 to be sold throughout the summer. It also removes restrictions on summer E10 blends.
The EPA’s waiver will be in effect from May 1 through May 20, but the department said it could be extended if needed.
"Gas goes up in the summer because the summer blend is more expensive and I am grateful that the federal government is waiving that,” Governor Katie Hobbs said.
E15 is available at roughly only 3,000 gas stations across the country, with a couple of dozen locations in the Valley. This type of fuel is limited to cars younger than 2001. Regardless, AAA recommends people check their owners' manuals before filling their cars of any age.
Meanwhile, E10 is the more typical gas, which gets more expensive over the summer as stations are forced to switch to an environmentally friendly blend.
"The winter blend, summer blend difference is anywhere from 5 to 15 cents, sometimes 20 cents," Doug Johnson, with AAA, said. "With the conflict in Iran, you have seen the gas prices jump more than $1 there in Arizona on average. So, this is not going to offset it all that much, but it could certainly help, at least for a short time. Of course, eventually it is going to go into the summer blend."
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