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Snyder declares "state of energy emergency"

Steve Carmody
/
Michigan Radio

Gov. Rick Snyder has declared a "state of energy emergency" in Michigan.    

The governor issued the executive order in response to issues at a Detroit oil refinery and a Wisconsin pipeline.

The Marathon refinery in Detroit is currently experiencing an “outage” related to maintenance work.    

The West Shore pipeline, between Green Bay and Milwaukee, has been offline for weeks, after an anomaly was detected. Wisconsin’s governor issued an executive order similar to Gov. Snyder’s more than two weeks ago.

Snyder’s executive order suspends state and federal regulations related to hours-of-service for motor carriers and drivers transporting all transportation fuels within Michigan.   

“We want to make sure the fuel Michiganders need for their travels to work, school, or a long weekend trip is available,” Snyder said in a written statement. “This executive order will help ensure there are no artificial shortages of fuel impacting the state’s residents or visitors.”

Gasoline prices in Michigan have been rising sharply in recent days.

According to GasBuddy.com, Michigan’s average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas jumped 14 cents in the past day. The price is up nearly 30 cents in the past week.

Patrick DeHaan is with GasBuddy.Com. He notes many refineries are offline at the moment, which he says is unusual. DeHaan calls it “a red flag”. 

“It’s interesting that refiners are scheduling maintenance during the peak summer driving season when gasoline consumption is at its highest,” says DeHaan.

DeHaan does not expect the governor’s emergency declaration will impact prices at the pump. He predicts pump prices will ease in a few weeks.  

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Steve Carmody has been a reporter for Michigan Public since 2005. Steve previously worked at public radio and television stations in Florida, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and also has extensive experience in commercial broadcasting.
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