The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will temporarily loosen summer gasoline regulations in an effort to increase fuel supplies and lower prices at the pump. The emergency waiver takes effect on September 1st and will remain in place through September 15th, when seasonal fuel restrictions begin to ease.

The EPA and Department of Energy will permit the sale of E10 gasoline with a higher Reid Vapor Pressure. E10 contains 10% ethanol, while Reid Vapor Pressure measures how easily gasoline evaporates. Federal rules require lower-volatility fuel during warm months because higher evaporation levels can increase emissions.

The waiver ends those summer requirements two weeks early, with administration officials estimating that the change will add hundreds of thousands of barrels of gasoline per day to the market. They expect the added supply to place downward pressure on prices, although the government did not provide an estimate for driver savings.

The national average gasoline price is about $4.10 per gallon, compared with $3.13 one year ago. Prices are higher on the West Coast, with California drivers paying an average of $5.60 per gallon.

Higher fuel costs are always one of the more talked about issues, and with midterms right around the corner, the issue gets even more amplified. With the national average nearly $1 higher than a year ago, even temporary relief helps household budgets and businesses with vehicle fleets.

Ending summer fuel requirements two weeks early allows refiners and distributors to sell more gasoline, but the impact will depend on how much fuel reaches markets and whether producers pass lower wholesale costs to consumers, as added supply does not directly guarantee a measurable price decline in every state.

But if prices can fall after the waiver, President Trump and Republicans can point to it as a direct cause that delivered relief.

However, if prices remain near $4, there will undoubtedly be pressure to take stronger action to expand refining capacity and boost domestic production, likely with an emphasis on getting fuel to market faster.

The waiver applies to the volatility of E10, not the amount of ethanol in the blend. Any savings should appear through lower posted prices rather than a discounted grade. Stations must first sell fuel purchased, so prices may not move on September 1st.

Areas supplied by terminals that can switch blends could see changes sooner, while isolated markets and states with separate fuel requirements may see little immediate difference. Anyone planning Labor Day travel should not assume the waiver will immediately erase the price increase.

If hundreds of thousands of additional barrels enter the market and prices barely move, the problem (and solution) likely lies elsewhere, such as crude oil costs or regional distribution bottlenecks. That result would make it harder for Washington to present temporary waivers as meaningful relief and strengthen demands for a longer-term answer before drivers face another price spike.