The same decade-old legislation that provided the remaining $1 million to repair and refill Glade Run Lake in 2014 will bump up the state’s gas tax in 2023.

Per Act 89 of 2013, which was signed into law during the administration of former Gov. Tom Corbett, the Pennsylvania gas tax will increase by 3.5 cents — to 61 cents — per gallon of gas, at the start of the new year.

Act 89 in 2014 provided funding to Glade Run Lake in Middlesex Township, Colyer Lake in Centre County, and Meadow Grounds Lake in Fulton County to repair safety issues that had caused several lakes statewide to be drained.

The sweeping transportation funding act now requires a fuel increase to help maintain roads and bridges.

Also, the tax on diesel fuel will rise by 4.4 cents, from a total of 74 to 78 cents per gallon going to taxes.

Since the tax will be assessed at the wholesale level, the increase may not be passed along immediately to consumers, AAA spokesman Jim Garrity said.

Garrity said the increase must trickle down to the pumps through a multi-level supply chain. He did not know when the increase might be seen at gas stations throughout the county and state.

He said the gas tax might not be too painful for the average driver.

“At this time of year, gas prices are moving down anyway, which could offset some of what people feel at the pumps,” Garrity said.

The state Department of Revenue assesses income from the gas tax each year and determines whether an increase or decrease is warranted; the last hike was in 2017, when prices rose by about 8 cents per gallon, Garrity said.

If the increase hits the pumps, Pennsylvania will trail only one state, California, in the list of states with the highest gas taxes.

Between Monday, Dec. 19, and Thursday, Dec. 22, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has fallen by four cents to $3.10 per gallon, according to a AAA press release.

“The cost of oil, gasoline’s main ingredient, has been hovering in the low-to-mid $70s per barrel, and that’s $50 less than the peak last spring,” Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson, said in a press release. “Combined with low seasonal demand, gas prices could slide a bit more before leveling off.”

On Wednesday, AAA reported the national average at $3.13 per gallon and the average for Pennsylvania at $3.61 per gallon.

The average gas price per gallon in Butler County on Wednesday was $3.73, per AAA’s gas price calculator.