Gas prices have climbed to their highest levels since 2022 — but a new Utah law could bring just a little relief at the pump.
After a rocky start at the Capitol earlier this year, House Bill 575 took effect this week.
The new law includes a temporary gas tax cut of about six cents per gallon — roughly 15% — from July 1 through the end of 2026.
When the bill was being considered during the legislative session, bill sponsor Rep. Calvin Roberts explained Utah’s gas prices tend to rise in the summer due to higher demand and the switch to a more expensive, cleaner-burning fuel blend.
Roberts also argued that longer-term supply constraints — including refinery closures on the West Coast — have pushed Utah’s baseline prices higher overall.
“And so the question for us is: What can we do as government? Well, I think there's two things we can address that are in our control," he said. "Number one: we can control the gas tax — what people pay at the pump.”
And number two: The state can help increase fuel supply by making it easier to build pipeline infrastructure.
He explained that companies like Chevron, Maverik, and Marathon have committed to increasing production over the next five years, and said the new tax cut would help provide some temporary relief in the meantime.
“Right now," Roberts said, "if you look at the gas tax, next year, it's set to actually drop about 10 to 12%— about 4.4 pennies per gallon.”
The bill hasn’t moved forward without controversy. Earlier versions sparked backlash over a proposed tax on fuel exported out of Utah. Since much of that fuel goes to Idaho, leaders there pushed back.
Idaho House Speaker Mike Moyle warned the tax could cost his state hundreds of millions of dollars, and even suggested Idaho could retaliate by restricting water flowing to the Great Salt Lake.
That provision was ultimately removed from the final version of the bill, which passed unanimously.
While the legislation was proposed before the conflict in Iran drove up gas prices, Roberts said the measure will offer much-needed relief, especially for middle-class Utahns, who tend to spend a larger share of their income on gas.
“It's a short term solution to a long term problem," he said. "Let's cut the gas tax today.”
