In Face of Gas Woes, Great News at the Pump

More steps in the effort to ease the post-Hurricane Sandy fuel crisis: UPI reports that the EPA lifted clean diesel regulations in the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and NYC area, allowing vehicles to use heating oil for emergency response purposes, while the Energy Department said it was working with the Pentagon to deploy emergency generators to gas stations. But the area's gas woes stand in contrast to what the country as a whole is experiencing: a dramatic drop in gas prices. Between Oct. 19 and Nov. 2 they fell from an average of $3.7529 to $3.5454, the most sizable two-week decrease since 2008, Reuters reports.

In other gas-related news, New York's attorney general opened an investigation into alleged price gouging in the wake of Sandy after receiving hundreds of complaints, Eric Schneiderman's office announced today. Those complaints covered a host of products, including emergency supplies, food, water, and even hotel space, but the majority centered around gas, Reuters reports. (More New York attorney general stories.)