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Californians, already paying the nation’s highest gas prices, may face another tax hike if proposed changes to the state’s low carbon fuel standard are approved, according to a new report from Fox Business.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB), appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democrat-controlled legislature, is set to vote on a plan to accelerate carbon emission reductions after the election. This would increase costs for petroleum refineries, likely raising fuel prices. CARB can impose these regulations without legislative approval.
Twenty-five Republicans are urging the California Air Resources Board to delay the vote after an independent report revealed it could raise gas prices by 47 cents per gallon.
“It’s a big, big deal, and so people deserve to know and have full transparency by these boards, what it is that they’re doing and the impact that it will have on their daily life,” state Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “So, we talk about the cost of living in California. We talk about the top concerns in California is the cost of living, and when it comes to the impact of fuels, this would be a direct ripple effect on increasing the cost of living in California. People need a break.”
I have formally sent a letter to Democrat Leadership, urging the introduction of my Bill to immediately halt the state’s gas tax and provide significant economic relief to California consumers at the pump. pic.twitter.com/XSPBTDIbBE
— Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (@SenOchoaBogh) October 10, 2024
In a letter to CARB chair Liane Randolph, Ochoa Bogh and Assemblymember Greg Wallis highlighted that Californians already pay $1.50 more per gallon than the national average. The proposed changes could add 65 to 85 cents next year, possibly reaching $1.50 by 2035.
“What we’re asking is that before you take a vote on new standards that are going to obviously have an impact on fuel prices, give us full disclosure as to what exactly it is that you’re imposing and what the financial impact will be on Californians,” Ochoa Bogh said.
CARB initially projected a 47-cent per gallon gas price increase due to Low Carbon Fuel Standard reforms but withdrew the estimate after public backlash. The report predicted gas prices rising by 47 cents next year, 52 cents by 2026, and diesel prices increasing by 59 cents this year and 66 cents in two years. Long-term projections indicated gas could rise by $1.15 and diesel by $1.50 per gallon from 2031 to 2046. However, CARB staff later labeled these projections “incomplete,” emphasizing potential cost savings from the shift to electric vehicles.
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