Petrarca has urged Gov. Tom Ridge to declare a limited state of emergency to help small business and trucking firms that have started to close shop and shut down some of their fleets because of staggering diesel fuel price. During one week in January, the price spiked 11 cents, the largest weekly price increase on record. Older Pennsylvanians are struggling to pay for home heating oil.
Businesses are strained, threatening to furlough workers.
Product prices are rising to compensate for transportation costs. In another letter, Petrarca asked Ridge to resurrect the Pennsylvania Energy Office to coordinate a state response to the fuel price increases. The office, established in 1987, was disbanded in 1995. According to the Consumer Price Index, gasoline prices jumped 8.5 percent in December. For 1999, gasoline prices rose 76.4 percent.