EPA grants waiver to ease El Paso gas shortage, price spike

Jul 26, 2023

The Environmental Protection Agency has granted a temporary waiver for fuel standards in El Paso County to ease a shortage in gasoline that has driven up prices and reduced supply.

Gas prices spiked in the region after the Alon Big Spring and Marathon Petroleum Corporation refineries experienced unplanned outages. The average per-gallon price in El Paso County on Tuesday was $3.95 compared with the $3.40 Texas average price, according to AAA.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requested the fuel standards waiver under the Clean Air Act "to address a fuel supply emergency," the EPA said in its response. The EPA concluded that it is "appropriate to take action to minimize or prevent an adequate supply of gasoline to consumers."

Some Alon and Valero gas stations in El Paso were short on gas Monday and Tuesday, with yellow "sorry out of service" plastic bags covering pumps. Lines for the discounted gas available to members at Sam's Club and Costco were stubbornly long, with occasional waits of 15 to 30 minutes to fill up.

In an emailed response to questions, Marathon spokeswoman Christina Cisneros Guzman declined to comment, saying, "While we appreciate the opportunity, we don’t typically provide statements on our refinery operations."

Alon's parent corporation Delek US hadn't yet responded to El Paso Times' emailed request for comment on Tuesday.

The fuel standards waiver will be in effect through Sept. 16.

Walmart is joining forces with Exxon Mobil to double members' discount at the gas station. Walmart members can get from 10 to 12 cents off every gallon of gas at participating Exxon Mobil gas stations through Sept. 16.

There are 12,000 participating stations throughout the country.