EPA grants emergency fuel waiver for Michigan, 3 other states

The Environmental Protection Agency has granted an emergency fuel waiver for Michigan and several other Great Lakes states amid a refinery outage in Illinois.

The waiver is for Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois, and comes after requests by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.

Gas prices in these states have been rising since the emergency shutdown of a ExxonMobil refinery in Joliet, Illinois after tornadoes touched down int he area in the middle of July. That refinery produces about 251,800 barrels per day.

The EPA works with the Department of Energy to address fuel supply disruptions caused by refinery outages.

According to the EPA, the waivers are necessary to ensure adequate fuel supply is available.

Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, it waives the federal fuel regulations for gasoline/RVP levels and should help bring additional gas to the market, slowing down future price increases.

De Haan tweeted on Thursday that many racks in Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio are showing signs of supply distress.

Gas prices have been rising across Michigan over the past weeks with the refinery outage, and we hit a new yearly high last week across the state.

“With hurricane season in full swing and a refinery outage in Illinois, we must ensure we’re taking all the steps necessary to proactively protect Michiganders’ access to fuel for their cars, homes, and businesses without delay. That’s why I am dedicated to working with the EPA to keep fuel available and affordable for Michiganders by temporarily removing barriers to ensure an adequate and stable fuel supply," Whitmer said in a statement on Wednesday night.