Southwest
'Removing the shackles': Major proposal could lower gas prices in this state
A legislative proposal in Arizona hopes to lower gas prices amid a recent appeal to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin.
Currently, federal ozone attainment standards have prompted parts of the state, especially heavily populated Maricopa County, to use a “boutique” blend of gasoline since 1997, and it is the only place in the country that has done so.
The legislative proposal would make it state law for other types of gasoline blends to be used aside from the specific winter and summer blends currently allowed, as it would be what is available in other states.
LOWER GAS PRICES AREN’T LUCK. TRUMP’S ENERGY POLICIES ARE FUELING AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE
The Biden administration got hit on social media for a post bragging about lowering gas prices. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Gas prices in the Grand Canyon State are currently among the highest in the country at $3.33 per gallon on average on Tuesday, according to AAA. In Maricopa County, that average is roughly 20 cents higher.
“Modeling shows that 80% of the ozone in Maricopa County travels here from outside the state. This includes wildfires, pollution from Mexico, and emissions from California,” President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope said in a statement. “Even if 4 million gas burning cars were removed from our roads, Arizona would still not attain the impossible ozone standards set by the EPA.”
Similar legislation was worked on in the legislature last year, but the renewed push on the issue comes as Senate President Warren Petersen recently met with Zeldin.
LIZ PEEK: TRUMP, ZELDIN BRING A KEY INGREDIENT TO AMERICA’S ‘GREEN AGENDA’
Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, appears before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
“Following that meeting, Administrator Zeldin publicly raised our concerns about being punished for emissions outside of our control, and he committed to ensuring air quality will be protected while allowing us to grow the economy,” Petersen said in a statement.
“HB 2300 is the first step in removing the shackles off Arizona and positions us to reduce gas prices quickly, in coordination with upcoming action from Administrator Zeldin on behalf of the Trump Administration. Providing multiple fuel options allows the market to compete during unexpected shortages and will help keep gas prices low for Arizona drivers.”
Some Democrats have argued the legislation would pose an environmental risk and “does nothing to lower gas prices.”
“House Bill 2300 weakens Arizona’s clean air protections by changing the rules for gasoline standards in certain areas. Here’s why that’s a problem: It could lead to more air pollution as this bill puts gas companies over public health,” State Sen. Rosanna Gabaldón said in a statement after the bill passed out of committee.
“Current fuel standards help keep our air cleaner, especially in cities with high traffic. Loosening these rules could make pollution worse. It would allow for more loopholes for gas suppliers. Instead of sticking to proven fuel standards, the bill opens the door for changes that may not meet strict environmental guidelines,” she continued.
SEN SHELDON WHITEHOUSE: THE EPA’S ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION ROLLBACK PUTS AMERICANS LAST
Arizona State Capitol Building in Phoenix. (dszc via Getty Images)
On March 12, Zeldin released a statement saying that there have been various complaints nationwide about communities being penalized for air quality regulations they can do little about. If the bill were to be signed into law by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, the EPA would still need to clear those blends through the State Implementation Plan, which Zeldin’s office says there’s a “backlog” of.
“The Biden Administration’s focus on ideological pursuits instead of the agency’s core mission and statutory duties resulted in a delay in air quality improvement. With more than 140 million Americans living in nonattainment areas around the country, cooperative federalism and clearing out the State Implementation Plan backlog will make significant strides to improving the air we breathe,” Zeldin said in a statement at the time.
The EPA did not respond in time for publication.
“We are still evaluating the legislation so nothing to share at the moment,” a spokesperson for Hobbs’ office told Fox News Digital.
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Police in Arizona arrested a suspected arsonist at a Tesla dealership after he allegedly lit a newly delivered Cybertruck on fire.
Mesa police responded just before 2:00 a.m. on Monday, April 28, to reports of an explosion at the Tesla Service Center in Mesa, Ariz.
Witnesses reported smoke and flames near the building, which officers determined were coming from a newly delivered Tesla Cybertruck.
Footage from Fox News affiliate, KSAZ-TV, captured federal and state law enforcement surrounding the Tesla dealership after the fire was put out.
TESLA VEHICLES, CHARGING STATIONS TARGETED AS PROTESTERS DENOUNCE DOGE, ELON MUSK
Police allege that the 35-year-old vandalized the Mesa, Ariz. Tesla dealership as well as setting a Cybertruck on fire. (KSAZ-TV)
The arson suspect, identified by local police as 35-year-old Ian Moses, allegedly wrote “THEIF” (sic) on the side of the dealership before setting the Cybertruck on fire.
The footage captured the charred electric truck as investigators taped off the scene. No injuries were reported.
The Mesa Police Department made an arrest after a Tesla dealership was vandalized Monday morning. (KSAZ-TV)
During their investigation, police said they noticed a suspicious van parked nearby and observed a man riding a bicycle approaching and opening the van’s door. Officers immediately contacted the individual and identified the suspect.
Investigators were able to match Moses to security photos captured by the Tesla Security Center during the incident. He was arrested and booked into jail for one count of arson of a structure and property.
NYPD SEARCHING FOR SCOOTER-RIDING SUSPECT WHO LEFT BRICK WITH SWASTIKA ON TESLA CYBERTRUCK
The Mesa Police Department announced that it is collaborating with federal authorities, and additional charges against Moses are pending as the investigation continues.
Trump and Elon show off Teslas on the White House Lawn March 11, 2025. (Getty Images)
This arrest comes amid a broader national movement targeting Musk’s companies, driven by activists protesting the billionaire’s involvement with the Trump administration.
Fox News Digital has reported on recent Tesla vandalism incidents nationwide.
A Minnesota man is accused of causing $20,000 in damage to Tesla vehicles. Surveillance footage in Florida captured two suspects ramming through a dealership gate and stealing a Tesla. And a Los Vegas man attacking a Tesla dealership is now facing federal charges.
Federal and local authorities are continuing to investigate the scene of a Tesla Cybertruck arson incident on Monday, April 28, 2025. (KSAZ-TV)
In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Department of Justice would pursue federal charges against vandalizers.
“The swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism,” she said. “We will continue investigations that impose severe consequences on those involved in these attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes.”
Officials have urged anyone with additional information about the suspected arson incident to come forward as the investigation continues.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Mesa Police Department and Tesla Inc. for comment.
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The Trump administration and Mexican officials reached a deal to ensure Texas farmers get much-needed water from the Rio Grande, less than a month after President Donald Trump accused the neighbor to the south of robbing the farmers of water promised under a decades-old treaty.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced on Monday that the deal had been reached with Mexico to meet the current water needs of Texas farmers and ranchers as agreed under the 1944 Water Treaty.
Under the latest agreement, Mexico committed to send water from international reservoirs and increase the U.S. flow from six of Mexico’s Rio Grande tributaries through the end of the current five-year water cycle, which ends in October.
“Mexico finally meeting the water needs of Texas farmers and ranchers under the 1944 Water Treaty is a major win for American agriculture,” Rollins said. “After weeks of negotiations with Mexican cabinet officials alongside the Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, we secured an agreement to give Texas producers the water they need to thrive.”
TEXAS FARMING CRISIS LOOMSAS US, MEXICO SPAR OVER LONG-STANDING WATER TREATY
President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico, and now officials like Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum are working with the U.S. to take on cartels and fentanyl. (Reuters)
Rollins called the measure a significant step forward, noting that the Trump administration welcomes Mexico’s continued operation in support of American agriculture.
Under the 1944 Water Treaty, Mexico agreed to deliver 1.75 million acre-feet over five years to the U.S. from the Rio Grande. In exchange, the U.S. agreed to deliver 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico from the Colorado River.
But at times, Mexico falls short with its delivery to the U.S., and it has led to severe water shortages in the Rio Grande Valley for farmers and ranchers, killing crops and jobs while threatening the local economy.
BOTH SIDES CLAIM VICTORY AFTER SUPREME COURT RULES TEXAS RANCHER CAN SUE STATE OVER FLOODED LANDS
A view of the Rio Grande (REUTERS/Veronica G. Cardenas)
The agreement comes weeks after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico, possibly even sanctions, if it continued to rob South Texas farmers of Rio Grande water as promised under the treaty.
“This is very unfair, and it is hurting South Texas Farmers very badly,” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social on April 10. “Last year, the only Sugar Mill in Texas CLOSED, because Mexico has been stealing the water from Texas Farmers. Ted Cruz has been leading the fight to get South Texas the water it is owed, but Sleepy Joe refused to lift a finger to help the Farmers. THAT ENDS NOW!”
TEXAS TOWN DECLARES ‘WATER EMERGENCY,’ TELLS RESIDENTS THAT IT COULD RUN OUT OF WATER
Donald Trump (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Trump continued, saying he will make sure Mexico does not violate treaties with the U.S. and hurt farmers in Texas.
“Just last month, I halted water shipments to Tijuana until Mexico complies with the 1944 Water Treaty,” he wrote. “My Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, is standing up for Texas Farmers, and we will keep escalating consequences, including TARIFFS and, maybe even SANCTIONS, until Mexico honors the Treaty, and GIVES TEXAS THE WATER THEY ARE OWED!”
Texas farm groups warned of a disastrous season ahead of them for citrus and sugar last year as Mexican and U.S. officials tried to resolve a dispute over the 1944 treaty that supplies U.S. farmers with critical irrigation.
The two countries have tussled over the treaty before, but the drought-driven water shortages were the most severe in nearly 30 years.
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Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat, indicated that if Texans want him to run for the U.S. Senate, he will mount another election bid.
“But if it comes to pass that this is what the people of Texas want, that it’s the highest and best use of what I can give to you, then yes I will,” O’Rourke said while responding to someone at a town hall event who asked the former lawmaker if he would run.
O’Rourke served in the U.S. House of Representatives from early 2013 through early 2019, but he has fallen flat in bids for U.S. Senate, president, and governor.
WHO IS BETO O’ROURKE?
Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke speaks to attendees during a “Our Fight, Our Future” rally at The Millennium bowling alley on Oct. 2, 2024 in Austin, Texas (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
He lost a 2022 Lone Star State gubernatorial bid to incumbent GOP Gov. Greg Abbott.
The Democrat announced but later dropped a presidential bid in 2019.
He lost a 2018 U.S. Senate contest to incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
CORNYN’S RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN SPARKS QUESTIONS ON BOTH PARTY FLANKS AS DEMS CHASE ‘THE GHOST OF A BLUE TEXAS’
Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke speaks during his visit to The Cambridge Union on March 17, 2023, in Cambridge, England. (Nordin Catic/Getty Images For The Cambridge Union)
Responding to a post on X regarding O’Rourke’s comment that he would run if that’s what Texans want, GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah tweeted, “They don’t.”
Texas state Rep. Mitch Little, a Republican, tweeted, “‘THIS SUMMER…from the producers who brought you ‘BETO’ and ‘BETO,’ you’ll fall in love—again—with ‘BETO.’”
Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who has served in the Senate for more than two decades, is up for re-election in 2026.
TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON ANNOUNCES RUN FOR US SENATE
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has mounted a Republican Senate primary challenge against Cornyn.
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