GASOLINE’S HIGH TEST
Prices hit new record; no tax relief in sight from Beacon Hill
The phrase “pain at the pump” has reached new heights in the Bay State, as drivers pay more than ever before to fill up their tanks.
Regular gas prices in Massachusetts surged to a record-high average of $4.39 per gallon on Monday — which was up 18 cents from last week. The state’s average gas price is 7 cents higher than the national average.
Diesel fuel is also hitting a record high every day, now reaching a staggering $6.27 per gallon average in the Bay State.
“It’s just brutal right now,” said Mark Schieldrop of AAA Northeast. “With diesel still rising to record highs every day, it’s like regular gas got jealous and followed suit.
“It’s just a bad situation all the way around right now,” he added.
While the average in Massachusetts is $4.39 per gallon, Suffolk County’s average is $4.47, Norfolk County’s is $4.43 and Middlesex County’s is $4.42. Gas on Nantucket is a whopping $5.46.
Gas prices skyrocketed in early March amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the U.S. announced that it’s banning Russian fuel products. The recent increase in regular gas prices is primarily due to the high cost of crude oil, which was hovering near $100 a barrel last week and then approached $110.
“Inventories are at many years low, and demand has remained steady,” Schieldrop said. “There’s just not enough refining capacity around the world.
“Russian products are being phased out of the markets, and Europe is scrambling to find replacement products,” he added.
While other states have suspended their gas tax because of the high prices, reps and senators at the Massachusetts State House have rejected GOP proposals to temporarily pause the gas tax.
House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka were called out on Monday for not suspending the gas tax as Bay Staters see the highest gas bills of their lives.
“Where is the leadership from our State House leaders?” Paul Diego Craney, spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, said in a statement. “What policy can be more important than providing tax relief for our state’s taxpayers and motorists? At what point do Speaker Mariano and Senate President Spilka wake up to what is happening to their struggling middle class constituents?”
Because of the high gas prices, drivers could cut back and demand may not surge this summer, Schieldrop said, citing consumer reports. That would lead to prices calming down by the end of May, he added.
“Demand is a big thing that we’re looking at,” he said, later adding, “Road trips earlier in the summer could be more expensive than later in the summer.”
Some tips for people to conserve gas and not have to fill up as much include: ease up on the gas pedal; drive the speed limit; accelerate calmly; check your tire pressure; stop idling; avoid drive-thrus; and combine errand trips.
‘What policy can be more important than providing tax relief for our state’s taxpayers and motorists? At what point do Speaker Mariano and Senate President Spilka wake up to what is happening to their struggling middle class constituents?’
— Paul Diego Craney, Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden delivered a rare public rebuke of Mayor Michelle Wu after Wu endorsed Hayden’s opponent in the DA race.
Let’s see how it plays out. Wu is a powerful political figure and challenging her could trigger backlash against Hayden’s campaign. The new DA — who was appointed by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker after Rachel Rollins left to become U.S. Attorney — could pay a steep political price if Wu decides to respond.
But it’s refreshing to see Hayden having the courage to take on Wu, who has received glowing support from the political community and the media, making her virtually untouchable. Even powerful lobbyists are cozying up to Wu.
Not so with Hayden, a Black political novice in Boston but who has extensive prosecutorial experience, so he’s no pushover.
The clash began after Wu over the weekend endorsed her former colleague, City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, for Suffolk DA.
Arroyo is a former public defender and has no law enforcement experience. But that mattered little to Wu, who issued a glowing assessment of the city councilor.
“This campaign is about justice. This campaign is about the people. So I’m going to be there every step of the way, just as Ricardo has been there every step of the way for us,” she said. “In all the ways he has served this community, not only on the City Council, not only as Chair of one of the most powerful committees on the City Council, steering legislation in that government operations role, but as someone who has been the last line of defense in an unjust system as a public defender.”
No mention of the fact that the DA is the chief prosecutor in the county, whose job is to make lawabiding citizens safe from criminals and bad actors.
Arroyo returned the compliment from Wu, saying he “looks forward to building a justice system that protects the safety and dignity of all people, one that maintains the reforms that have proven to improve the safety of communities across Suffolk County while moving us forward with justice and community-centered policies.”
Instead of offering a bland response or no response at all, Hayden fired back at the Boston mayor’s move.
“If Mayor Wu believes a novice attorney with zero public safety experience should be the top law enforcement officer in the county, that’s her choice,” Hayden spokesman Adam Webster said. “We’re confident voters will disagree.”
I am not so confident. Voters don’t really know Hayden and Arroyo has been on the ballot in Boston.
Wu on Monday responded to the Hayden campaign’s strong language, saying he was speaking code for “upholding the status quo.”
Hayden is in fact far from the status quo, but he was appointed by a Republican governor, so that makes him persona non grata in the Democratic and liberal camps.
Good luck taking on Wu, you’re going to need it.