LANSING — Governor Gretchen Whitmer has declared an energy emergency in Michigan, temporarily easing fuel blend restrictions in Lenawee and seven other counties as gas prices climb.
The state says the move will allow stations to sell higher vapor pressure gasoline that is typically 10 to 20 cents cheaper, and it follows a temporary federal waiver issued by the EPA.
Under the executive order, the May first requirement for lower vapor pressure gasoline is suspended in Lenawee, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Livingston, Monroe, and St. Clair counties.
The governor’s office says the change is intended to expand access to less expensive fuel for roughly five million residents in those counties, while drivers in other parts of Michigan are already allowed to buy those cheaper blends.
State officials say anyone who suspects problems at the pump can report it through the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s twenty-four hour fuel hotline at 1-800-MDA-FUEL.