WASHINGTON, D.C.—This afternoon, Deputy Secretary Turk spoke with Western State Energy Directors from Washington, Oregon, California, and Nevada on the refinery challenges recently impacting gas prices in the region. The conversation followed President Biden’s direction to identify actions, including emergency measures, that could address the issues pushing up fuel costs in the West.  While the national average remains $1.23 below the June 13 peak, states in the West and Midwest are seeing an upswing, primarily driven by refinery issues in the two regions. On the call, Deputy Secretary Turk emphasized the administration’s commitment to increasing communication with state and local officials to ensure Americans have the most up-to-date market information and a transparent understanding of where prices stand. He also encouraged the group to stress to industry the importance of safe operations to avoid further disruptions, and the need to pass tangible savings on to consumers. The Secretary of Energy, the Deputy Secretary and this Administration will closely monitor and analyze the market and push industry to take all necessary steps to ensure no one is driving up financial pain of American households for the sake of profit.