The measures vary widely. Some states have suspended gasoline or diesel taxes outright, while others have delayed scheduled increases or provided narrower relief to farmers, truckers and other fuel-intensive industries. Several governors have also temporarily allowed the use of tax-exempt dyed diesel in highway vehicles or changed transportation rules to reduce costs.

The average U.S. price for regular gasoline reached $4.43 a gallon on Sept. 30, according to AAA data cited by The Associated Press, about 50% higher than when the war involving Iran began. Diesel averaged $6.41 a gallon, only slightly below a record reached the previous week.

Ohio adopts 90-day fuel tax holiday

Ohio became the latest state to act Wednesday, when lawmakers approved a 90-day suspension of the state’s gasoline and diesel taxes.

The legislation would suspend Ohio’s 38.5-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax and 47-cent-per-gallon diesel tax through the end of 2026. Gov. Mike DeWine’s office said he planned to sign the measure. The state expects to use $725 million from its general fund to replace revenue normally used for roads and bridges.

The measure emerged during a closely watched Ohio governor’s race. Democratic candidate Amy Acton called for a gas-tax holiday before Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy announced his own proposal. The competing proposals became part of the campaign debate over how the state should respond to higher fuel costs.

The Ohio legislation therefore provides immediate tax relief at the same time that it creates a budgetary question over how transportation infrastructure will be financed while the tax is suspended.

Georgia and Indiana have extended fuel relief

Georgia was the first state to suspend its fuel taxes after energy prices began rising sharply in March. Gov. Brian Kemp subsequently extended and reinstated the suspension at different points.

Under an executive order issued Sept. 28, Georgia suspended collection of its motor-fuel excise tax from Sept. 29 through Oct. 29. The order also suspended certain state taxes on locomotive fuel and temporarily suspended state weight limits on commercial vehicles.

Indiana has repeatedly extended a fuel-tax exemption since the spring. The current measure was scheduled to remain in effect through Oct. 5.

Utah has reduced its fuel tax by 6 cents for six months, with the reduction scheduled to remain in effect through the end of the year. Illinois and Kentucky have taken narrower measures, including delaying scheduled fuel-tax increases.

These measures differ in duration and scope, meaning consumers in different states are receiving different forms and amounts of tax relief.

Governors turn to untaxed dyed diesel

A separate group of states has focused on diesel used by agricultural and other industries.

Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Texas have taken steps to temporarily relax enforcement surrounding dyed diesel, according to an Associated Press review.

Dyed diesel is normally exempt from fuel taxes and is intended primarily for off-road uses such as farm equipment, logging machinery and irrigation equipment. Temporary state measures allow some of the fuel to be used in highway vehicles, reducing fuel costs for certain agricultural and transportation operations.

Nebraska also authorized highway-registered vehicles to use untaxed dyed diesel without state penalties and introduced provisions allowing refunds of certain diesel taxes associated with transportation of seasonal products and livestock. The state also eased weight restrictions for seasonal crop transportation.

Oklahoma paused enforcement of taxes, regulations and fines associated with red-dyed diesel for 120 days, while Alabama adopted a 120-day suspension of enforcement of restrictions on its use.

Texas targets freight and agriculture

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a statewide emergency Sept. 28 in response to high fuel prices.

The order expanded use of dyed diesel, increased allowable weights for certain truck loads and suspended some federal diesel-emissions requirements. The measures are aimed particularly at agriculture and freight, sectors heavily dependent on diesel.

The Texas order did not suspend the state’s 20-cent-per-gallon fuel tax. Democratic lawmakers have called for a suspension, while other state political figures have advocated broader federal fuel-tax reductions.

AAA data cited by The Washington Post put the average Texas diesel price at $5.86 a gallon when Abbott issued the emergency order.

California relaxes fuel-blend restrictions

California has taken a different approach by changing rules governing the type of gasoline sold during the transition from summer to winter fuel.

The state normally maintains stricter summer-blend requirements in many areas through Oct. 31. Gov. Gavin Newsom ended the summer requirement early on Sept. 28, citing a state law requiring a review of fuel regulations when retail gasoline prices rise substantially.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency had already allowed the seasonal switch to cheaper winter-blended gasoline to begin earlier than usual. The National Association of Convenience Stores estimated the change could reduce fuel costs by as much as 15 cents per gallon.

The EPA has separately issued a series of temporary fuel waivers during 2026 to address fuel-supply disruptions, including waivers affecting gasoline volatility standards and certain diesel requirements.

Fuel-price relief does not guarantee an equal pump-price reduction

State tax holidays and regulatory changes do not necessarily translate immediately into equivalent savings at gas stations.

Fuel taxes are generally collected earlier in the supply chain, and retailers may still have inventories purchased under previous tax conditions. Wholesale fuel prices can also move independently of state tax changes.

Jeff Lenard of the National Association of Convenience Stores told AP that the effect of a gas-tax holiday can be more complicated than simply subtracting the tax from the retail price because fuel purchased under the previous tax structure may remain in a retailer’s inventory.

That means the size and timing of consumer savings can vary by market.

Rising fuel costs become an election issue

The measures are arriving as candidates and elected officials campaign for the November midterm elections.

Fuel prices are particularly visible to voters because gasoline costs are paid frequently and diesel prices affect trucking, agriculture and other transportation-dependent industries. The current measures have therefore become part of campaign debates in states including Ohio and Texas.

The political significance of individual measures varies by state. In Ohio, competing gubernatorial candidates proposed fuel-tax relief before the legislature acted. In Texas, the governor pursued regulatory measures while leaving the state fuel tax intact.

The measures also involve trade-offs. Suspending a fuel tax can provide temporary relief while reducing revenue available for transportation infrastructure, as Ohio’s decision demonstrates through its planned $725 million general-fund transfer.

Federal and state responses continue

The state actions are occurring alongside federal efforts to address fuel-market disruptions.

President Donald Trump said Sept. 30 that he was continuing to consider a possible diesel-export ban. He acknowledged that such a measure could have a negative effect on gasoline prices while potentially reducing diesel prices. The administration has also considered broader access to tax-exempt diesel and other measures intended to increase domestic fuel availability.

The administration has attributed the price pressures to disruptions involving energy production, refining and exports, including effects associated with conflicts involving Iran and Russia. Those explanations concern multiple supply disruptions rather than a single source of the price increase.

For states, the immediate response has increasingly centered on temporary measures: suspending taxes, delaying tax increases, changing fuel specifications, expanding use of tax-exempt diesel and easing transportation restrictions.

With the midterm elections approaching, those policies place fuel affordability directly into state-level political debates while leaving questions about their fiscal costs and longer-term effectiveness unresolved.

Reporting Credit: Georgia Department of Revenue; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; state executive orders and official government records cited in the reporting.

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Nearly an hour after his son shot and killed Ahmaud Arbery, Greg McMichael reached out for help to his former boss, Jackie Johnson, the district attorney of Glynn County, Georgia.

“My son and I have been involved in a shooting, and I need some advice right away,” McMichael said, leaving a voicemail on Johnson’s phone.

The killing of Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, led to national outrage after a video showing the tragic event surfaced online. McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan—three white men—used trucks and guns in a violent chase before the shooting. They are now serving life sentences for murder and federal hate crimes. However, it wasn’t until more than two months after the incident that they were arrested.

Now, nearly five years later, Johnson, who was serving as the local prosecutor at the time, is facing charges of misconduct. She’s accused of using her office to interfere with the investigation into Arbery’s death. Jury selection for her trial is scheduled to begin on Tuesday in Brunswick, Georgia.

Key Details About the Case:

How Was Ahmaud Arbery Killed?

Arbery, an avid runner, was often seen jogging through the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Glynn County. On February 23, 2020, as Arbery ran past the McMichaels’ property, the father and son grabbed guns and gave chase in their pickup trucks. Bryan, in a separate truck, filmed the incident.

The footage showed Travis McMichael shooting Arbery at point-blank range as they struggled over his shotgun. Arbery was unarmed and had no stolen property on him. Despite this, local police initially let the men go, with Greg McMichael claiming they suspected Arbery was a thief.

Two months later, Bryan’s video was leaked, igniting outrage. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case, and arrests quickly followed for the McMichaels and Bryan.

Who Is Jackie Johnson and Why Was She Charged?

At the time of Arbery’s death, Jackie Johnson had served as the district attorney for southeast Georgia’s Brunswick Judicial Circuit for ten years. Greg McMichael had worked in her office before retiring.

After the shooting, Johnson claimed she recused herself from the case due to her connection with Greg McMichael. Another prosecutor, George Barnhill, was appointed to take over. However, Barnhill quickly ruled that the McMichaels acted lawfully in attempting to detain Arbery, and that the shooting was justified.

In May 2020, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr launched an investigation into Johnson and Barnhill. Carr revealed that Barnhill had been recommended by Johnson and failed to disclose that he had advised police the shooting wasn’t a crime.

In November 2020, Johnson was ousted from office. By 2021, she was indicted on charges of violating her oath of office and hindering the investigation.

What Are the Charges Against Jackie Johnson?

Johnson faces felony charges for using her office to show “favor and affection” to Greg McMichael. She is also charged with a misdemeanor for hindering police by advising that Travis McMichael should not be arrested.

Johnson has denied any wrongdoing, claiming she didn’t direct police not to arrest anyone. Her defense attorney, Brian Steel, stated in a pretrial hearing that Johnson was focused on an unrelated case and wasn’t aware of the details of the Arbery case.

Court records reveal that Johnson and Greg McMichael had at least 16 phone calls in the weeks after the shooting.

Jury Selection Process

Jury selection for Johnson’s trial is set to begin Tuesday in Glynn County. To ensure an impartial jury, 500 local residents were summoned—far more than usual. Prospective jurors will be questioned about their prior knowledge of the case, with the selection process expected to take a week or more.

Why Did It Take So Long for Johnson’s Trial to Begin?

The delay in Johnson’s trial, which took over three years, was largely due to her defense attorney’s commitments. Brian Steel spent nearly two years defending rapper Young Thug in a high-profile racketeering case, causing a delay in Johnson’s court proceedings. After Young Thug entered a plea deal in late October 2023, Johnson’s trial was scheduled for January 2025.

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Tamuna Museridze had always dreamed of calling the woman she believed was her biological mother. After years of searching, she finally made the call, but the response she received wasn’t what she expected.

The woman on the other end of the line screamed, denying any connection to Tamuna, claiming she hadn’t given birth to a child and wanted nothing to do with her. “I was ready for anything, but her reaction was beyond anything I could imagine,” Tamuna recalls, still shocked by the coldness in her mother’s voice.

Despite the harsh response, Tamuna wasn’t ready to give up. She needed to know more about her adoption—and most importantly, the name of her father.

Tamuna’s journey began in 2016 after the death of the woman who had raised her. While cleaning out her house, Tamuna discovered a birth certificate with her name, but the birth date didn’t match. This led her to suspect that she was adopted. She launched a Facebook group, “Vezdbe” (which means “I’m Searching”), hoping to find her birth parents.

Instead, Tamuna uncovered a larger issue—baby trafficking in Georgia, which affected thousands of families. For decades, parents were told their babies had died, only to later discover that their children had been sold.

Though Tamuna was a journalist investigating the issue, this was a deeply personal mission for her, as she wondered if she, too, had been one of the stolen children. “It was a personal mission as much as it was a professional one,” she says.

Her breakthrough came in the summer when someone from rural Georgia messaged her, claiming to know of a woman who had secretly given birth in September 1984, around the time Tamuna was born. They believed this woman was Tamuna’s birth mother and gave her a name.

Excited, Tamuna searched for this woman online but found nothing. She then made a public post on Facebook, asking if anyone knew her. Shortly after, a woman responded saying the pregnant woman was her aunt. She agreed to a DNA test, and Tamuna called her mother in the meantime.

A week later, the DNA results confirmed that the woman Tamuna had contacted was her cousin. With this proof, Tamuna convinced her mother to admit the truth and share the name of her father: Gurgen Khorava.

Tamuna was stunned. “The first two months were shocking—I couldn’t believe these things were happening to me,” she recalls.

With her father’s name, Tamuna quickly found him on Facebook. It turned out that Gurgen had been following her work for years without knowing they were connected. “He had been on my friend list for three years,” she says, amazed. “He didn’t even know my birth mother had been pregnant.”

Gurgen was just as surprised. They arranged to meet in his hometown of Zugdidi, about 160 miles from Tamuna’s home in Tbilisi.

When they met, it was an emotional moment. “When he looked at me, he knew I was his daughter,” Tamuna recalls. “It was strange, but it felt like he recognized me instantly.”

Despite the shock, they quickly discovered they had common interests. Gurgen, a former dancer with the State Ballet of Georgia, was excited to learn that Tamuna’s daughters also loved dancing.

Gurgen invited his extended family over to meet Tamuna, introducing her to half-siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Everyone remarked on how much Tamuna resembled her father. “Out of all his children, I look the most like him,” she says.

The family shared stories, ate traditional Georgian food, and even sang along as Gurgen played the accordion.

Although Tamuna had met her father, a lingering question remained: Had she, like many others in Georgia, been stolen as a child and sold? With her adoptive parents no longer alive, she couldn’t ask them.

The answer came in October when a Polish TV company filming a documentary about Tamuna arranged a private meeting with her birth mother. Unlike many of the families Tamuna had helped reunite, she learned that she had not been stolen. Her mother had given her up in secret, ashamed of her pregnancy.

Her mother explained that they were not in a relationship and that the pregnancy had been hidden. In September 1984, she traveled to Tbilisi, telling people she was going for surgery, but in reality, she gave birth to Tamuna. Afterward, arrangements were made for Tamuna’s adoption.

“It was painful to learn that I spent 10 days alone with her before the adoption,” Tamuna reflects. “I try not to think about that.”

Her mother also asked Tamuna to lie about her story and say that she had been stolen. “She told me that if I didn’t lie, everything would end between us,”

Tamuna says. “But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t lie for her or for the other parents who had been lied to.”

Tamuna’s mother insisted she leave, and they haven’t spoken since.

“Would I do it all again?” Tamuna asks herself. “Of course. I’ve learned so much about my new family.”

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