On Friday, Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order addressing the high cost of gas in Colorado which impacts families "both at the pump and the dinner table."
According to AAA, the average price of regular gasoline in Colorado is roughly $4.24 a gallon. Diesel is averaging approximately $6.28 a gallon in Colorado as of Saturday evening, the highest recorded price ever tracked by AAA.
The highest recorded average price of gas in Colorado was roughly $4.91 a gallon in June of 2022.
Polis' executive order states that when the U.S. launched large-scale airstrikes against Iran in Feb. of 2026, Iran cut off access to the Strait of Hormuz which typically carries a fifth of the world's oil supplies. The order continues to say the closure has created global energy supply issues and increased the cost of gas, hurting "farmers and ranchers who grow and raise food, our truckers who get the food to grocery stores, and our hardworking Colorado communities."
We want to do everything we can to reduce the cost of gas," Polis told Denver7 on Saturday. Every tool we have as a state, even if it saves a penny or two here or there, we want to do it.
There are three approaches outlined within the executive order. One directs the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to issue permits that allow truckers to carry more fuel on state highways in compliance with certain safety regulations.
"We're going to let those fuel trucks that you see bringing the fuel to gas stations carry a little more weight than they normally can. Now, if we did that for a long time, a period of time, like years, it would wear down the roads more," said Polis. "But in this crisis, we want to do anything we can, even to save a cent here or a cent there."
On Oct. 5, President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily allowing dyed diesel fuel for highway use. Polis' order also means the Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS) will avoid enforcing the ban of dyed diesel fuel on state highways through the end of this year.
Red dyed fuels which are normally not subject to the same taxes, it's a diesel fuel category normally used in agriculture those are normally restricted because they don't have the same tax for the highways. That'll be able to be used for any purpose, which will help a little bit on the supply side," Polis explained.
Finally, Polis' executive order asks the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to submit a request to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking a temporary waiver of reformulated gasoline requirements in 2027. The goal of the waiver is to increase supply and lower the cost of gas during the summer months.
"It's everything a state can do, right? Colorado did not attack Iran. Colorado is not blocking the Strait of Hormuz," said Polis. "This will help a little bit. It's everything we can do as Colorado, but we still have to buy gas on the same international market as every other state.
Denver7 discussed Polis' executive order with Kishore Kulkarni, a distinguished professor of economics at Metropolitan State University (MSU) in Denver.
"I think it's a good action. I think it's an action that will probably lower the gasoline prices, not by very much substantially, but it will lower it at least some," said Kulkarni. "I think for a dramatic decline in gasoline price, we need to end the war, and we need to give a good assurance to all the suppliers of gasoline that we will continue with this peace in the future.
Meanwhile, Andrew Creager of Merc Tree Service has three work trucks that run on diesel.
"Everything is diesel, and the pricing is crazy," Creager said. "What it's affecting per job, what we're charging it's affecting our customers. I mean, the ripple effect does not end.
On Saturday afternoon, Creager topped off his most efficient vehicle with diesel, and a quarter tank cost $65. Even knowing the savings from Polis' executive order will not result in a dramatic decrease in the cost of diesel, Creager says any little bit helps.
"It's better than nothing overall," said Creager. Maybe it'll give me a Red Bull a week in savings."
