SE Valley Times

State Rep. Jacqueline Parker (R-AZ) criticized Gov. Katie Hobbs (R-Ariz.) for the price of gasoline in Arizona. 

"Every time you fill up your tank, remember there’s an extra dollar/gallon because of Hobbs & the radical democrats who want you to eat bugs & have no private property & no cars. They are doing this on purpose," Parker wrote in a June 20 Twitter post.

The Arizona Republican Caucus tweeted a press release on June 16 from State Rep. Jake Hoffman, who blamed Hobbs and how she ignored a warning about gas shortages for causing a large uptick in prices. He detailed how a letter from independent petroleum refiner HF Sinclair warned Hobbs of a shortage in Maricopa County because of an equipment failure preventing them from operating within guidelines from the Biden Administration. “The company asked Hobbs to seek a waiver on that requirement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but Hobbs Administration denied that request, baselessly claiming the EPA wouldn’t approve it.”

“Katie Hobbs’ incompetence as Arizona’s Governor continues to take center stage, and hardworking Arizonans are paying the price for it,” Hoffman said, according to the press release. “The average price for a gallon of gas right now in Maricopa County is a full $1 higher than the national average. This is extra money that could help with groceries, medications and other necessities many of our taxpayers are having a difficult time affording because of the Biden Administration’s reckless policies leading to historic inflation. Hobbs had an opportunity to do the right thing by requesting this waiver to allow prices at the pump to drop, but she instead chose to selfishly play political games with the livelihoods of our citizens by refusing to back down from her woke ‘green’ agenda to appeal to her far-Left base.”

Parker also shared an article from AZ Free News on this press release and the reasons behind the rising cost of gas in the area, which is a full dollar higher than the national average, making the region one of the most expensive areas in the country to purchase fuel. The article noted that the EPA approved “an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 gasoline – gasoline blended with 15% ethanol – to be sold during the summer driving season” to protect Americans from the fuel price increases.