SACRAMENTO – The Air Resources Board keeps contradicting itself on how much the Low Carbon Fuel Standard will drive up gas prices, but that didn’t stop Newsom from embracing the plan that could spike costs as much as 65 cents per gallon.
First, the board predicted that prices would rise by 47 cents per gallon under the new rule. Then they backpedaled, insisting they had no idea what impact the rule would have. Wednesday, at a dumpster fire of a press conference, the board’s executive director contradicted himself yet again, claiming the regulations actually wouldn’t increase prices at all (despite admitting the rule would increase costs on refineries, which would immediately pass them on to consumers).
Even with all that uncertainty, Gov. Newsom is embracing the new regulations and their added costs.
After Asm. Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin) and Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City), sent a letter to Newsom calling on him to stop the LCFS update, a spokesman for the governor defended the new regulation and claimed that forcing drivers out of their cars “will save Californians billions every year.”
Not all Democrats are on board with the Newsom price hike though – this week a Democrat State Senator asked the Legislative Analyst’s Office to find out the true cost of the new regulations, since the Newsom administration refuses to be honest with Californians.
Californians deserve relief from high gas prices – not another gut punch from Newsom and his regulators.
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