The EPA is lifting environmental restrictions on gas sold in metro Athens and Atlanta in hopes that refineries will send us more if they’re not limited to the low-sulfur variety.

The ploy will only work if distributors do, in fact, decide to send more gas this way, and filling station owners say they don’t know when that will happen. Even if it does, shortages will continue until hurricane damage at Gulf Coast refineries is repaired and they’re back running at full capacity.

We’re at the mercy of the oil companies. And this afternoon, our Siamese-twin senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, jointly pleaded with distributors to send us more gas within 24 to 48 hours.

Remember when Republicans were ridiculing Barack Obama for telling people to keep their tires inflated to save gas?

Gov. Sonny Perdue and Rep. Jack Kingston must not.

In light of Hurricane Ike and spiking gas prices, Perdue issued a press release this afternoon on how to improve fuel efficiency. Among the tips are no-brainers like driving your car that gets the best gas mileage if you own more than one, slowing down, avoiding idling and, yes, properly inflating your tires.

Paul Broun’s re-election campaign released another internal poll Monday touting the congressman’s huge lead.

Broun leads Republican primary opponent Barry Fleming 80-15, has an 81 percent approval rating and 97 percent name recognition, compared to Fleming’s 58 percent. The poll of 300 district residents was conducted by the Tarrance Group and has 5.8 percent margin of error.

The poll’s accompanying memo also says that Fleming’s negative campaign tactics – otherwise known as questioning Broun’s voting record – have backfired.

I still don’t believe these numbers, but there they are.

I hadn’t heard these rumors until last weekend, but state Rep. Barry Fleming felt the need to knock them down.

“Apparently due to some problems of my extended family members a rumor was begun that I was withdrawing my name from the race for congress. I have no intention of withdrawing from the race,” he said in a statement Friday night. “Today, I will finish my current business with the legislative session in Atlanta and then will continue my campaign for (C)ongress.”

I asked around and here’s what I heard:

In one version, it’s not clear how the rumor got started, but supposedly reporters starting calling each other trying to confirm it until finally an Augusta talk radio host broadcast it over the air. It seems highly unlikely that no reporter would, you know, call the campaign or anything.