Gas prices in Michigan will increase this summer when stations switch to summer-grade fuel, a change intended to lower smog levels.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced on May 28 that it will start monitoring summer ozone levels on June 1 in Southeast Michigan. The state has over 100 air monitors across 40 locations.

Businesses in Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne counties are subject to the fuel restrictions. 

The summer gasoline program introduced in 1996 monitors violations of the National Ambient Air Quality standard. Michigan must conduct it to continue receiving federal highway funding dollars.

The summer blends used in several states lead to higher gas prices, according to Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment at The Heritage Foundation.

“These summer blends are required to be put in place by [the Environmental Protection Agency] due to smog and pollution concerns,” Fuchtgott-Roth wrote in an email, adding that the agency's data shows the targeted pollutants have steadily decreased over the past 20 years.

The EPA announced that due to war in the Middle East and Ukraine, it will continue to allow certain blends to be sold in the summer as a way to lower prices. Furchtgott-Roth says the upcoming election is probably another reason for the decision.

“High gas prices are tremendously unpopular and these are seen by Americans every day,” Furchtgott-Roth wrote.

Between 1970 and 2022, emissions of six noteworthy pollutants decreased by 78%, according to the EPA.

The U.S. Department of Energy says the average price of a gallon of gasoline has risen from $0.39 in 1973 to $3.50 in 2023.

“I suggest that the EPA regulations be rolled back, and states be given permanent flexibility to choose their own blends of gasoline,” Furchtgott-Roth wrote. This way, states could adjust the policy during high gas prices or a recession.

Furchtgott-Roth said the decision should be made before winter because refineries must plan their gasoline deliveries.

The fuel change aims to improve fuel efficiency and reduce smog.

“Summer formula gasoline increases fuel efficiency and helps prevent smog-causing compounds from being released into the atmosphere,” Craig VanBuren, agency laboratory and consumer protection bureau director, said in a statement. “MDARD inspectors will conduct on-site testing during the summer gas season, which runs from June 1 to Sept. 15.”

Statewide, Michigan’s current average gas price per gallon in 2024 is $3.45, according to GasBuddy.

(Editor's note: This article has been updated to note that one population report assumes zero inbound migration.)

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says her administration will continue to grow Michigan’s economy, but the state’s record since she took office counters that claim.

On May 30, Whitmer posted on social media a meme of an animated character reviewing a to-do list: “Get to work building an innovative ecosystem, keep growing Michigan’s economy and population, and build a bridge to the future and create a more innovative, prosperous and strong Michigan.”

Whitmer won the governor’s office in 2018 and was reelected in 2022. From 2018-23, Michigan’s population declined by 33,349 people, a 0.3% decrease that is the ninth-worst record in the country. By contrast, the U.S. population increased by 1.9%.

Michigan ranks 49th in job growth since 2020, according to the Michigan Growing Council.

“We are lagging in median income, educational outcomes, and attainment and have fallen behind faster-growing peer states in key measures of infrastructure, community well-being, and job opportunities,” the council said in a report. ”We are losing more young residents than we’re attracting, and our population is aging faster than those of our neighbors.”

From December 2018 to April 2024, the latest month for which data is available, Michigan’s economy is up 54,500 jobs, a 1.2% increase that is the 11th-weakest among the states.

About 700,000 people will leave the state by 2050, according to a report from the Michigan Center of Data and Analytics that assumes zero inbound migration. 

Roughly 270,000 people will leave the state by 2050, according to a 2023 Citizen’s Research Council of Michigan report that accounts for migration.

James Hohman, the director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, said Michigan is falling behind other states.

“Michigan is falling behind during the Whitmer administration,” Hohman told CapCon in an email. “Her policies, like increasing income taxes, forcing workers to pay unions, and demanding unreliable and expensive electricity generation has only made things worse.”