Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced Tuesday evening a suspension of penalties for the on-road use of dyed diesel fuel, a move aimed at providing relief from high fuel prices for residents and supporting agricultural operations in the state. The decision follows a national push by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, who urged governors to align with a recent federal directive allowing the unrestricted use of the fuel, typically reserved for off-road machinery. This suspension, part of a broader effort to ease the financial burden on Georgians, builds on Kemp’s earlier action to suspend the state’s fuel tax.
Governor Kemp's executive order stated that dyed diesel is "critical for agricultural and forestry operations, particularly in the fall harvest season." He added that Georgia should "take every action to facilitate the implementation of President Trump’s order." This state-level action mirrors a Monday evening announcement by President Donald Trump at a rally in Nebraska, where he authorized highway use of dyed diesel fuel and deferred the federal excise tax on the fuel. President Trump's order, which allows "anyone" to purchase red-dyed diesel fuel "for any reason" through the end of the calendar year, aims to combat national record-high diesel prices exceeding $6 per gallon. According to the presidential executive order, this federal suspension could potentially save drivers as much as $100 per trip to the fuel station. Corn growers in Iowa had previously written to their congressional delegation in September, advocating for federal waivers to permit the use of dyed diesel on roads, among other measures like stopping diesel exports and releasing oil from national reserves.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins actively encouraged states to adopt similar measures. Speaking with reporters during a stop in Iowa on Tuesday, Rollins indicated she was "on the phone constantly with other governors, trying to get them to do the same." The federal move followed actions by several states that had already suspended state fuel taxes or permitted dyed diesel use. Following President Trump’s executive order, more states have initiated similar state-level suspensions.
Governor Kemp, a Republican, had previously announced a suspension of Georgia’s state fuel tax last week. On Tuesday, he not only suspended the penalties for off-road dyed diesel use but also extended the existing suspension of the state gas tax until November 5. Georgia’s motor fuel tax is 33.3 cents per gallon for gasoline and 37.3 cents per gallon for diesel.
The push for fuel cost relief comes as prices have sharply risen due to ongoing geopolitical events. The war in Iran and closures in the Strait of Hormuz, a key trade route for products such as oil and fertilizer, coupled with the continued conflict between Russia and Ukraine, have been cited as primary drivers of these increases.
Secretary Rollins noted that, in addition to the executive order on dyed diesel, an influx of 100 million barrels of oil from the Group of Seven (G7) countries had "already" led to a decline in diesel prices. The G7 announcement regarding this oil release was made on Friday. Data from AAA fuel prices showed that the national average price of diesel on Tuesday was approximately $0.13 per gallon lower than it had been a week prior. Rollins commented that "There’s a lot of really good things that are being deployed right now."
Regarding the situation in Iran, President Trump stated during his rally speech in Nebraska that it was "going to be over with very soon." Secretary Rollins echoed this sentiment on Tuesday when asked about the conflict, emphasizing that the government of Iran "cannot have" a nuclear weapon and that the war was "so important for the future." She further relayed that President Trump "has said that we’re moving quickly, that we will and should be out of it very soon," predicting that when this happens, "all of the fuel prices, everything will absolutely go down significantly." Rollins also linked the current situation to the administration's efforts to increase domestic energy production, stating it "is exactly why" they are "working so hard" to do so. She elaborated that increasing fuel production domestically includes not only oil but also investing in biofuel production.
