INDIANAPOLIS — Following severe storms in Illinois, the federal government has established an emergency fuel waiver to alleviate soaring gas prices. It comes at a time when most people have come to dread putting gas in their vehicle.
"It's really impacting me really hard,” Endielita Wooley an Indianapolis resident said. ”It's hard. The prices are so high, I couldn't even do a full tank at this moment, you know not even actually a half. I maybe have a quarter tank with the money I put in."
Wooley says she is on a fixed income. According to GasBuddy.com the average price of gas in the Indianapolis market is $3.59 per gallon. It is enough for people like Wooley to make adjustments.
"I am not able to go different places like I normally would,” Wooley said. “If I do, I have to use transportation things such as when I go to my doctors appointments and stuff. I have to use the transportation that they offer."
Each state has different regulations for the type of gasoline that can be sold, but right now Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin, all use the same gasoline. The emergency waiver mentioned earlier allows for that change.
"It essentially acts as an immediate way to increase the amount of gasoline supply by making the type of gas required much simpler and much more common,” Patrick De Haan The Head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy said.
For people like Wooley, the prices are still too high. She has a price in mind she feels would be acceptable.
"Nothing over two dollars,” Wooley said. “I mean it's ridiculous I mean food is high enough."
However experts say prices that low are unlikely. A big factor is because of inflation and because people make more money then they use to. De Haan says that Americans actually have more purchasing power then we use to despite the higher prices at the pump.
"We could probably see some sub three dollar prices closer to the end of the year but that's kind of the new norm,” De Haan said.
This special designation expires on August 20th. For prices near you click here.
