Summer blend gasoline will not be required in Metro Detroit this year, Whitmer says

A "summer blend" of gasoline, which is intended to help prevent the formation of smog but is also more expensive than regular unleaded gas, will not be required in Southeast Michigan this year. 

The step taken by the state legislature won't affect current gas prices that are already higher than the national average – but it will prevent them from rising another 10 to 20 cents per gallon. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said this step is meant to give Metro Detroit drivers a break by allowing them to use the same fuel that is sold elsewhere in the state. 

"This was the right move to lower costs for Michiganders and provide relief at the pump," Whitmer said. 

What the legislature did on Wednesday was to extend Executive Order 2026-4 that the governor issued in April to declare an energy emergency. This order postpones the enactment of the special gasoline blend so that it will not go into effect this summer. Otherwise, the governor's action would have lasted only 90 days and was set to expire. 

Under normal conditions, the reformulated gas rules call for lower-vapor-pressure gasoline to be sold during the summer in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Livingston, Monroe, St. Clair and Lenawee counties. About five million people live in those eight counties. 

The summer gasoline blend rules, which have been in effect since 1996, are meant to prevent the release of smog-causing particles into the air, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said. Southeast Michigan has seen one air quality alert day so far this summer. That happened on Monday and was related to ozone formation at the start of this week's heat wave. 

Michigan gas prices are currently averaging about $4.04 a gallon, according to AAA's gas price database. That's roughly 20 cents more expensive than the national average of $3.823.