Overview
- Gov. J. B. Pritzker sent an open letter to seven major oil CEOs on Thursday accusing them of profiteering and asking for refunds, public pricing data, and details on executive pay.
- AAA data show the Illinois average for regular unleaded at about $4.30 per gallon, which is roughly $0.88 higher than a year earlier and reflects month-to-month increases despite a small week-to-week dip.
- AAA spokeswoman Molly Hart pointed to the U.S.-Iran conflict as a primary driver of higher prices while also naming refinery maintenance and weather events as routine domestic factors that can raise pump costs.
- Indiana Gov. Mike Braun declared a statewide energy emergency and extended a gasoline tax suspension through Sept. 5, and Chicago joined the state attorney general’s lawsuit against Pullman Innovations over offensive odors and permit violations.
- Global market strains such as recent shipping attacks, Strait of Hormuz risks, Canadian wildfires and thin crude inventories pushed benchmark prices higher in late July, prompting strategic reserve releases and state-level policy steps to try to ease costs for drivers.