It’s the end of summer, and millions of Americans are about to pay the highest gas prices since 2014 , thanks to Hurricane Ida’s blow to the oil industry in Louisiana. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, a fuel-savings app, warned in a tweet that “many refineries in Louisiana all citing the same thing- extended downtime possible, power being the biggest burden at this time.” De Haan said some refiners are down due to widespread power outages or the lack of nitrogen supply which is crucial for the refining process. To help with developing fuel shortages, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued emergency fuel waivers for Louisiana and Mississippi. Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) waivers help increase the fuel supply by allowing other types of fuels with different standards in affected areas. These temporary waivers help guarantee that an adequate supply of fuel is available. … and […]