More Rebates Proposed As NJ Gas Prices Spike Again

NEW JERSEY - The average gas price in New Jersey is up again, with AAA reporting an average $4.472 per gallon on Monday.

That’s a 25 cent per gallon increase from one week ago and a 37 cent increase from a month ago, AAA said. It’s also $1.45 more per gallon compared to this time last year.

In fact, New Jersey gas prices are higher than the national average, which currently stands at $4.328. Compared to the rest of the 50 states, the Garden State ranks at No. 13 for the highest gas prices in the country, behind California (No. 1 with $5.829 on average per gallon), New York (No. 9, $4.518) and Pennsylvania (No. 10, $4.508).

Here’s the average cost of gas per gallon in every NJ county:

• Atlantic County: $4.512

• Bergen County: $4.435
• Burlington County: $4.441
• Camden County: $4.467
• Cape May County: $4.522
• Cumberland County: $4.494
• Essex County: $4.515
• Gloucester County: $4.467
• Hudson County: $4.436
• Hunterdon County: $4.472
• Mercer County: $4.512
• Middlesex County: $4.472
• Monmouth County: $4.492
• Morris County: $4.485
• Ocean County: $4.512
• Passaic County: $4.443
• Salem County: $4.480
• Somerset County: $4.559
• Sussex County: $4.381
• Union County: $4.466
• Warren County: $4.396

Towering gas prices are not just affecting the personal transportation sphere: price hikes are now impacting the cost of delivery and ride-share apps like Uber, GrubHub and Lyft. Read more: Uber To Raise Fees In NJ To Offset High Gas Prices

The rising gas prices in New Jersey and throughout the U.S. has prompted calls for legislative action from federal and state officials, with one federal proposal calling for a per-barrel tax levy on major oil companies “equal to 50% of the difference between the current price of a barrel of oil and the pre-pandemic average price per barrel between 2015 and 2019.”

Republicans are also calling for an expansion of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, claiming that domestic production would lower nationwide gas prices.

In New Jersey, Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson) has proposed legislation to provide state residents rebates between $400 and $800 for having a non-commercial vehicle registered in their name. Mukherji also proposes to allocate $1.5 billion for the rebate program, as well as an additional $150 million to establish a fare holiday for NJ Transit from June to August.

The bill was introduced and referred to the state Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee on May 2.

It’s reminiscent of a bill introduced by Sen. Edward Durr (R-Gloucester) earlier this year, which proposes a gas tax rebate for New Jersey families making less than $125,000 per year. Dubbed the “Gas Price and Inflation Tax Credit Act,” the proposed legislation seems to have not moved out of the Senate Transportation Committee since its introduction.

Read more: State $500 Gas Rebate Proposal Demands Action Now: Republicans

Read more: $500 Gas Tax Rebate In NJ? Some Residents Not In Favor: Patch Survey