California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, has proposed penalizing oil companies for perceived price gouging.
His proposal ignores the fact the taxes and fees California imposes on fuel are the highest in the nation, the state requires a specific blend of gasoline that is more expensive to make, and the state’s cap and trade policies result in higher manufacturing costs.
Fuel prices in California are staggering and well above the national average, but you cannot blame oil companies when the state’s existing policies are at the core of the high prices.
The Biden Administration paved the way for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to implement zero-emission requirements ahead of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) guidelines.
Governor Gavin Newsom said, “Last year, California became one of the first jurisdictions in the world with a real plan to end tailpipe emissions…” Guess it does not matter what emissions are generated prior to the tailpipe. All the studies show, it is not a pretty picture.
We can get to zero emissions by making practical, measured and environmentally sound decisions.