Yellen: Recession not inevitable, gas tax holiday weighed
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is offering a dose of optimism even as economists grow increasingly worried about a recession fueled by skyrocketing inflation.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is offering a dose of optimism even as economists grow increasingly worried about a recession fueled by skyrocketing inflation.
The slowdown in demand threatens a wide range of businesses that rely on a summer pickup in activity as Americans vacation, take road trips and just generally hit the road in bigger numbers for a wide range of activities.
The American Petroleum Institute, which represents the industry, said in a statement that capacity has been diminished as the Biden administration has sought to move away from fossil fuels as part of its climate change agenda.
There is little evidence that gasoline prices, which hit a record national average of $5 a gallon on Saturday, will drop anytime soon.
The incessant run-up in prices has motorists testing the limits of their fuel gauges: AAA fielded 50,787 out-of-gas calls in April, a 32% jump from the same month last year.
After spiking in March, gas prices cooled some in April but have been on a steady climb this month, setting records and leaving wallet-pressed drivers with the sense that there is no end in sight.
To drive, or not to drive? This Memorial Day weekend, with surging gas prices that are redefining pain at the pump, that is the question for many Americans as a new COVID-19 surge also spreads across the country.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday he was preparing a plan to potentially tap into the growing state budget surplus to help residents with the national inflation jump.
The focus on price gouging comes as gas prices hit an national average of $4.59 per gallon Thursday—49 cents a gallon higher than a month ago and $1.55 higher than a year ago, according to AAA.
Indiana’s average pump price hit $4.62 for a gallon of regular as of Thursday, up from $3.93 a month ago, according to AAA.
Motorists in Indiana are now paying about 56 cents per gallon in state taxes on gasoline—the highest-ever level shown in state records—and the tax is set to increase next month based on rising fuel prices.
In other kinds of markets, a surge of demand and shortage of supply would trigger more investment. But the longer-term transition away from fossil fuels dims the outlook for demand, making companies unwilling to put up the billions of dollars needed to build new refinery plants.
The Biden administration says it is canceling three oil and gas lease sales, removing millions of acres from possible drilling as U.S. gas prices reach record highs.
President Joe Biden released oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in November and March, hoping to reduce prices. That helped temporarily, but prices shot back up and have stayed stubbornly high.
The average price at the pump is $1.36 per gallon higher than it was one year ago.
Citing growing worries about high gasoline prices, Democratic leaders announced an effort Thursday to give the Federal Trade Commission increased authority to crack down on companies that engage in price gouging.
The new requirements increase gas mileage by 8% per year for model years 2024 and 2025 and 10% in the 2026 model year.
The average price of gasoline at the pump is $1.54 higher per gallon than it was a year ago.
The surcharge will be in effect for at least 60 days, after which Uber said it will assess the situation.
Economists say the one-two punch of rising prices and the intensifying geopolitical crisis could put the brakes on the rapid rebound and raise the risks of recession.