The American Automobile Association (AAA) announced the national average for a gallon of gas was $4.60 on Thursday. According to the Wall Street Journal, the pain at the pump is pinching American driving habits.
The mid-May demand for gasoline has dropped to one of the lowest levels in a decade. The drop indicates that at least some Americans are curbing their driving habits ahead of the peak summer driving season.
The WSJ reported that gas was over $4 a gallon in all 50 states, a 51% increase over a year ago and a new all-time high. JPMorgan reported early this month that prices may reach $6.20 by August.
After canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline and slow-walking oil and gas permits, the Biden Administration is now arguing that outrageously high gas prices are helping “transition” Americans to renewable energy.
When questioned on skyrocketing gas prices during a press conference, President Joe Biden said: “When it comes to the gas prices, we’re going through an incredible transition that is taking place that, God willing, when it’s over, we’ll be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels when this is over.”
Reportedly, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested that Americans should buy electric cars, then their worries about gas prices would be over. In addition, Buttigieg claimed that rural Americans would benefit most from electric vehicles since they drive the most miles.
“The people who stand to benefit most from owning an EV are often rural residents who have the most distances to drive, who burn the most gas, and underserved urban residents in areas where there are higher gas prices and lower-income,” Buttigieg said. “If we can make the electric vehicle less expensive for everybody, more people can take advantage, and we’ll be selling more American-made EVs, which means in time they’ll become less expensive to make and to buy for everybody.”
