Colorado drivers are feeling it at the pump, with gas prices above $4 a gallon and diesel costs topping $6, and Gov. Jared Polis says he is tapping every lever the state has to push those numbers down — even if the relief amounts to just a penny or two per gallon.
Polis issued an executive order addressing the high cost of gas in Colorado, according to Denver7. “Every tool we have as a state, even if it saves a penny or two here or there, we want to do it,” Polis told the outlet. The governor repeated a version of that message on Facebook, stating that the state will use every tool available to help people save money at the gas pump, even if the measures may save only a penny or two.
As reported by KDVR, the order comes with gas prices above $4 and diesel costs over $6 across the state. AAA figures cited by Denver7 put regular gasoline at roughly $4.24 a gallon and diesel at about $6.28, while AAA numbers cited separately by CBS News Colorado showed regular gas at $4.19 a gallon and diesel at $6.22 — a discrepancy the available reporting does not fully explain.
What the Executive Order Actually Does
The order directs the Colorado Department of Transportation to issue permits letting truckers carry more fuel on state highways, subject to safety regulations, per the Denver7 report. It also tells Colorado public safety officials to avoid enforcing the state's ban on dyed diesel fuel on highways through the end of this year.
A third piece asks Colorado health officials to request a temporary waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency exempting the state from reformulated-gasoline requirements for summer 2027, with the goal of boosting fuel supply and lowering costs, Denver7 reported. The dyed-diesel move follows an October 5 executive order from President Donald Trump that temporarily allowed dyed diesel fuel for highway use nationwide, according to the same report.
Polis had already moved on diesel specifically. The governor announced temporary rule changes on Oct. 9 aimed at cutting diesel fuel prices across Colorado, according to WesternSlopeNow. That outlet reported that Mesa County alone consumed more than 59,000 gallons of diesel in the nine months leading up to the announcement. Mesa County fleet manager Eric Brown told the station that even a tiny per-gallon discount adds up fast at that volume: “Saving a penny a gallon is huge when you take it in terms of times 59,000 pennies.”
Polis Points to the War With Iran
Polis tied the price spike to the ongoing war with Iran, saying in a release that “the President's reckless war is directly increasing the cost of oil.” He also said the increasing cost of diesel fuel is driving up costs for farmers and ranchers across the state, per the same KDVR report. On Facebook, Polis said the state would use every tool available to help people save at the gas pump, even if measures save only a penny or two.
For context on just how bad things have gotten, Colorado's highest-ever recorded average gas price was roughly $4.91 a gallon back in June 2022, according to Denver7 — meaning current prices, while painful, haven't hit that record yet.
Colorado Isn't Alone
Colorado is one of several states where officials are scrambling to respond to fuel costs. Governors and state lawmakers in both parties are taking steps to address high prices as voter frustration grows, according to Politico, even though some of those efforts could sap state transportation funding. In Ohio, lawmakers have weighed suspending the state's gasoline tax, joining Georgia, California and Texas, which have cut their own levies or floated other fixes, Politico reported. Ohio state Sen. Jane Timken argued the tradeoff is manageable, saying, “Ohio can do this and still take care of our roads.”
Other states have taken their own swings at the problem. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 795 to speed up the sale of E15 gasoline and widen access to lower-cost fuel, according to a statement from the Governor of California's office. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration issued Executive Order No. 2026-15, which the State of Michigan describes as a declaration of a state of energy emergency.
How much Colorado drivers will actually save from the new order has not been established. AAA's Colorado average gas price figure offers a snapshot of fuel costs in the state.
