Gas

VALDOSTA — Georgia’s governor declared a state of emergency over inflation and suspended gas tax collections Tuesday.

The relief from an excise tax on motor fuel takes effect Wednesday and will last until Oct. 12, a statement from Gov. Brian Kemp’s office said.

In the statement, Kemp blamed “policies coming out of Washington” for inflation.

Tuesday, the day the suspension order took effect, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in Valdosta was $3.44, down a penny in seven days, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. On that date in 2022, the average gas price in Valdosta was $3.16 per gallon.

The lowest fuel price reported Wednesday in the Azalea City was $3.18 per gallon at a store on North St. Augustine Road, according to the price tracking website gasbuddy.com.

Valdosta was tied with Columbus Tuesday for the second-cheapest average gasoline price among the 15 Georgia markets surveyed by the auto club: Below Albany but above Warner Robins, Savannah, Rome, Macon, Hinesville, Gainesville, Dalton, Brunswick, Augusta, Athen and Atlanta.

Nationally, the average price of gasoline Tuesday was $3.84 per gallon, up three cents from the previous week, while Georgia’s average of $3.57 per gallon was down three cents in the same period, AAA said.

“Pump prices appear to be defying the odds at the moment, despite the surge in the cost of oil,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “This uneasy balancing act may last until we get beyond hurricane season and its threats to Gulf Coast oil and gas production and refining.”

In energy trading Tuesday, benchmark U.S. crude inched down 1 cent to $87.28 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, slid 6 cents to $90.58 a barrel.