California drivers are paying the highest gas prices in America, and Gov. Gavin Newsomstill refuses to suspend the state gas taxas critics warn Sacramento’s energy policies are pushing the crisis toward a breaking point.
The statewide average for a gallon of gas climbed to $6.16 on Friday, compared to the national average of $4.54, as refinery shutdowns, foreign oil dependence and tensions in the Middle Eastsqueeze California’s already battered fuel supply.
Despite growing pressure for relief, Newsom dismissed the idea of a gas tax holiday on Friday and insteadpointed the finger at President Trump.
“Now, as it relates to the cost of fuels, California hasn’t changed anything as it relates to cost. Those baseline costs have been static. But the cost at the pump has not been, for one reason: Donald Trump’s recklessness as it relates to the war in Iran,” Newsom said.
The comments came after lawmakers, economists and energy officials gathered at a tense state Capitol hearing this week focused on California’s worsening fuel crisis.
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Even experts at the hearing acknowledged that California’s punishing fuel taxes, environmental mandates and regulatory costs are the main reasons drivers here pay dramatically more than the rest of the country.
Severin Borenstein, an economist with UC Berkeley Haas, told lawmakers a temporary gas tax suspension would provide immediate relief.“There’s no question it could help consumers,” Borenstein toldKCRA.
He also floated a proposal to adjust fuel taxes so they fall when crude oil prices spike instead of piling even more costs onto drivers.
But Newsom appears unwilling to take accountability.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
