Georgia governor declares state of emergency over high inflation

Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, has declared a state of emergency over high inflation that he blames on the Biden administration.

Kemp announced the declaration Tuesday, stating it will temporarily suspend state taxes on motor and locomotive fuel -- a move his office described in a statement as an effort "to provide direct relief to families throughout the state."

The order goes into effect Wednesday and will remain in place until Oct. 12.

"From runaway federal spending to policies that hamstring domestic energy production, all Bidenomics has done is take more money out of the pockets of the middle class," Kemp said.

"While high prices continue to hit family budgets, hardworking Georgians deserve real relief and that's why I signed an executive order today to deliver it directly to them at the pump."

Kemp's initiative came hours before the U.S. Labor Department was set to release its latest inflation update Wednesday. According to the department, the annual inflation rate for the 12-month period that ended in July was 3.2%, up slightly from the 3% in the previous period.

The figure also represents a downward inflation trend from a high of 7% in 2021 and 6.5% last year.

However, the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that inflation for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell area of Georgia hit 4.6% for the 12 months ending June.

The announcement also comes as the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Tuesday that it expects higher oil prices through the remainder of the year as a result of declining global inventories.

That is expected to push the average regular-grade gasoline price to $3.69 per gallon in the fourth quarter, up from the EIA's August forecast of $3.57.

According to AAA, the average cost of a gallon of regular gas in Georgia is currently $3.57, up from $3.24 last year.

Kemp said his suspension of the gas tax will save Georgians 31.2 cents per gallon of gas and 35 cents per gallon of diesel.

Georgia General Assembly Speaker Jon Burns, also a Republican, said in a statement that he applauded the suspension of fuel taxes adding that it would "keep our people and our economy moving despite Washington's inaction on rising fuel prices."