What Kind of Fuel Should State Workers Use?

Colorado State Parks are the latest state entity to consider increasing fees in order to stay afloat amid the budget cuts, writes the Fort Collins Coloradoan, leading to a good question that doesn’t seem to be asked often enough these days: What is the state doing to tighten its belt?

If you go to Fleet Management, which is responsible for state vehicles, the answer to that question was “not much,” until recently—at least as far as reimbursements for gasoline go.

Finally, a year after major banking institutions collapsed, officials with Colorado Fleet Management have ordered state employees to stop using premium gas in an effort to save “tens of thousands of dollars” each year.

That prompted a “no-duh” response from state Representative Carole Murray (pictured), a Douglas County Republican, who only puts regular gas in her car: “I guess I’m amazed that it hasn’t been a policy before now.”

Premium gas in Colorado costs about 30 cents more per gallon than regular gas, according to oil data cited by 9News. But fear not, state employees seeking to impress pals by living large on the backs of taxpayers: State officials still say it’s OK to use mid-grade gas, which is about 18 cents more per gallon than regular. Go on, state workers. With the furloughs and all, you deserve it.