Denver gas prices could soon surpass $4 per gallon – Here’s why

It’s been over two years since Denver has seen $4 dollar per gallon gas prices, and no one is sad about that. Sadly though, that could be changing this summer…

Starting June 1, the Environmental Protection Agency will require reformulated gasoline sales in the Denver area. This is because the EPA downgraded the Front Range metro area as a “severe” violator of ozone pollution standards set by the Clean Air Act.

The reformulated gas burns cleaner and releases fewer toxic emissions. Fuel vapor contributes to unhealthy ground-level ozone and smog — something the EPA is trying to curb in the Denver area.

Reformulated fuel is more expensive to make, though, and some of that expense will be passed down to the consumer. The EPA predicts 3 to 5 cents extra per gallon, but experts in the petroleum industry expect the cost to be much higher… Up to to 60 cents per gallon — which would push gas above $4 a gallon for the first time in two years.