Gallego rallies against sky-high gas, diesel prices in Phoenix

Audio By Carbonatix

(The Center Square) – A jet-black Suburban rambled into the tight confines of a Chevron gas station in Midtown Phoenix Tuesday afternoon.

After the Secret Service-grade detail with Arizona plates ambled its way into a parking spot, U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, the state's junior senator, got out and talked to reporters Tuesday afternoon about a topic on voters' minds two weeks before the midterm election: the nation's sky-high gas and diesel prices. They're 35.4% higher than they were at this point a year ago, according to AAA.

Gallego and a handful of community activists rallied against those costs, which the former U.S. House member blamed largely on the country’s ongoing war in Iran.

“It’s all compounding right now,” the Democratic senator said of higher gas, diesel and food costs. “And the least we can do, the most important thing we can do, is to be responsible leaders, not start stupid wars.”

As he spoke, Gallego stood next to a sign showing Arizona's average gas prices rose to $4.63 a gallon after the conflict with Iran, up from $3.29 a gallon. AAA listed the state's average price as $4.60 a gallon on Tuesday, above the national average of $4.28 a gallon. The nation's highest prices continue to be in California, which saw an average of $6.15 a gallon on Tuesday.

Complicated picture

AAA Mountain West Group external communications specialist David Caltabiano told The Center Square this week that Arizona’s gas and diesel prices are a net result of the nation’s pinch at the pumps.

Some of that is due to the ongoing conflict in Iran, along with other regional flareups like the clash between Houthi rebels in Yemen and the Saudis, Caltabiano said. But he added that economic instability is also a factor.

“Crude oil is hovering around $100 per barrel. Any time you see that, you're going to see gas prices elevated,” Caltabiano told The Center Square. “There’s a lot of volatility in the global oil market.”

On Tuesday, Gallego made sure to hammer home that gas and diesel prices will be front of mind for voters across the country when they cast their ballots.

The Phoenix native told the crowd that his background as the son of a single mother gives him a unique perspective on costs, as he knows what it’s like to do what he called a unique type of arithmetic about staying ahead of hunger.

“And the fact is, there's a lot of voters right now, a lot of fathers, a lot of mothers that are scared about what the next week brings,” Gallego said in response to a question from The Center Square on Tuesday. “They're worried every time they go to that pump, and they start putting the gas in, and they don't hear the click. That it’s finally full, and it just keeps going. It freaks them out.

“I know. I've felt it,” he added.

A unique state

Gallego also addressed the Grand Canyon State’s unique location on the greater gasoline landscape.

That’s because Arizona is one of the few states with no oil refineries. All of the oil and diesel must be piped or trucked in from California, New Mexico or Texas.

Gallego said he recently met with officials from ExxonMobil to improve Arizona’s gasoline pipeline access from the East, which he thinks would grant some semblance of relief.

But Gallego said the biggest roadblock to lower gas prices remains the conflict with Iran, which started on Feb. 28.

“We certainly didn't plan for us to be in this war this long,” Gallego said. “All those things are big drivers. I think there are other long-term drivers we have to fix, but in the meantime, the biggest driver is the war.”