“Californians pay the highest gas prices in the country, and Democrats are flat-out refusing to do anything about it.”
SACRAMENTO – Assembly Democrats have announced their agenda for the special session on gas prices, and apparently anything that will actually lower costs is off the table. Setting just three bills for a committee hearing, Democrats have rejected proposals to get California gas prices, consistently the highest in the nation, under control.
“Democrats’ refusal to even hear these bills shows they aren’t serious about bringing prices down,” said Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (Yuba City). “Day in and day out, Californians pay the highest gas prices in the country, and Democrats are flat-out refusing to do anything about it.”
Ahead of the Assembly Petroleum and Gasoline Supply Committee hearing tomorrow, Democrats announced they would strip out key parts of Gallagher’s bill to exempt gas from Cap-and-Trade, which increases gas prices roughly 27 cents per gallon. The Democrat-led committee will refuse to consider Republican proposals to lower gas costs by suspending the gas tax (60 cents per gallon), prevent a 47 cent gas price increase, give drivers a $100 fuel rebate, provide transparency into California gas prices and streamline energy infrastructure projects. The committee is even rejecting a Democrat-authored bill to postpone a new regulation that will make it even harder and more expensive to import fuel into California.
Instead of the proposals to bring down the cost of gas, Democrats are advancing Gov. Newsom’s scheme to drive gas prices even higher with a refinery storage mandate, a bill setting due dates for Newsom administration reports on gas production that have been in the works for decades and a watered-down version of Gallagher’s bill that will allow a switch to winter-blend gas as prices spike.
In embracing the governor’s plan, Democrats are ignoring the warnings of Newsom’s own administration and the Democrat governor of Arizona that a refinery storage mandate could increase gas prices and create fuel shortages.
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