Connecticut’s temporary suspension of the state’s 25-cents-a-gallon excise tax on gasoline drove prices below $4 a gallon at some service stations in the region Friday, but the overall effect of the price reduction was hard to gauge.

Some of those filling their tanks were unaware or only vaguely aware that Gov. Ned Lamont and legislators had taken action to ease consumers’ burden, at least through June 30.

A few noted it’s an election year.

Dave Mamula, a Niantic resident fueling up at Flanders Shell on the corner of Boston Post and Chesterfield roads in East Lyme, said, “I think I am,” when asked if he was aware he was paying less than he would have paid the day before.

“It doesn’t make that much difference to me,” he said, before turning to politics. “When Donald Trump was president, gas was $2.50. I’m a Republican, what can I say? We need to put Republicans in office — in the White House and at the State Capitol.”

Haseeb Butt, the Flanders Shell manager, said the station cut its prices at midnight Thursday, knocking the cash price of a gallon of regular down from $4.20 to $3.95. He said the station had taken a delivery from its distributor two days earlier, meaning he was selling what remained of the shipment at a discount he didn’t get.

He said he understood the state was “trying to get something done” for retailers in his situation.

“It all depends on how they bill me,” Butt said. “I hope to God they’re going to bill me fairly.”

He said the majority of people “realize the price of everything is ridiculously high,” not just gasoline, suggesting many became used to soaring prices and shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cesar Navas of East Lyme hadn’t noticed the comedown in prices at Flanders Shell, even as he began pumping. “They’re still a little high,” he said. “But maybe it’ll ease the tension a little.”

Navas said he filled his tank for $25 before prices started climbing, whereas now it costs him $45. He said the increase forced him to reconsider his driving habits, even causing him to give up a job that was a 30-minute drive away for one closer to home.

At the Henny Penny convenience store/Shell station on Route 85 in Waterford, regular gas was $4.07 Friday, reflecting the suspension of the state excise tax, according to the manager.

Seth Chartier of Windham, who was fueling up there, said he had no idea that gas prices had been cut. “I’m not that affected by it,” he said. “I just have to pay it.”

Informed of the price cut, Stacey Ornberg of New London, another Henny Penny customer, asked if it was an April Fools' joke. She said she’s gotten used to “ridiculously high” prices, the cost of her vehicle’s fill-up rising from $35 to $50. “That’s just going to and from work,” she said.

AAA reported Friday that the price of a barrel of crude oil dropped below $100 for the first time since February after President Joe Biden announced the previous day that the United States will release 180 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve over the next six months.

After hitting $4.33 on March 11, the national average price of gasoline dropped to $4.21 a gallon, down three cents in the past week.

In Connecticut, Friday’s average price was $4.27, down four cents in the past week but up 54 cents over last month and up $1.38 higher than a year ago, according to AAA. In the New London-Norwich area, Friday’s average price was $4.29, down two cents since last week and up 36 cents since last year.

“Domestically, gasoline demand is again defying seasonal trends and has dipped for the second straight week,” said Tracy Noble, spokesman for AAA in Greater Hartford. “If demand continues to decline as gasoline stocks continue to build, prices will likely continue to move lower.”

State Attorney General William Tong released guidance Friday for consumers who suspect violations of the state gas tax holiday.

“Any gas station suspected of charging the 25-cent tax, or a portion of it during the holiday will be subject to investigation by the Office of the Attorney General ...,” Tong said in a statement. “Acting in coordination with the Department of Consumer Protection, the Office of the Attorney General may file suit against retailers found to be in violation of this law and seek appropriate relief, including injunctive terms, restitution, and civil financial penalties designed to deter future unscrupulous sellers.”

Consumers are encouraged to file complaints online using the Office of the Attorney General complaint portal: dir.ct.gov/ag/complaint.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com