{"id":340854,"date":"2024-08-27T15:38:30","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T13:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=340854"},"modified":"2024-08-27T15:38:33","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T13:38:33","slug":"gasoline-prices-california-investigates-itself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=340854","title":{"rendered":"Gasoline Prices: California Investigates Itself"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Master Resource<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Robert Bradley Jr.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe California Energy Commission needs to wrap up its study and, as necessary, offer a conclusion that is politically incorrect but economically correct. Little doubt, California energy policy needs a dose of reality-and about face.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, a piece by CBS Sacramento reporters Marlee Ginter, \u201cFindings from California gas price watchdog after first year on job, industry responds<\/a>,\u201d interviewed Tai Milder, Director of the California Energy Commission\u2019s Petroleum Market Oversight division. The \u201cnation\u2019s first gas price watchdog\u201d found a dollar per gallon of unexplained price premium (\u201csurcharge\u201d) in the state. In his words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The first thing I think it\u2019s really important for people to understand is this surcharge adjusts for taxes and fees. So once you compare California\u2019s taxes to other state\u2019s taxes and you adjust for that, there\u2019s still an unexplained markup and that is the oil industry markup. We are still digging into the data to determine [where that money is going] and why it\u2019s occurring, but I think California drivers are rightly frustrated that they\u2019re paying more to the oil industry.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Funny that after a year the study is indeterminate and floundering. At LinkedIn, Matt Mastro<\/a>, operations engineering manager of the California Resources Corporation, offered<\/a> this rebuttal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Found this article last week mentioning the findings from the California Energy Commission on why state gas prices are so expensive. After reading the article (and watching the video), I was blown away by the findings\u2026 Nothing.

Absolutely nothing tangible on why California has high gas prices and just several paragraphs of poor energy policy propaganda. The energy czar himself is even quoted, \u201cI have absolute confidence that if we identify what the problems are\u2026\u201d Meaning after a year on the job, the California Energy Commission still has no idea.

What is even more entertaining about this article, is the reporter is apparently an Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist. After this \u201cinvestigation\u201d turned up such ground breaking results, I will give her a few points to investigate further\u2026

\u00b7        The fact that there has not been a new oil refinery built in CA since 1979
\u00b7        The fact that the state has not issued new drilling permits in it\u2019s most prolific oil county in years
\u00b7        The fact that CA is an energy island, reliant on foreign oil more and more each year
\u00b7        The fact that CA has the highest demand for oil in the country and a supply that is continuing to be driven down by poor state policy
\u00b7        The fact that CA requires special blends of gasoline and residents pay the highest amount of taxes on gas in the country

On top of that, CA taxpayers fund the California Energy Commission to come up with no answers and continue their wild goose chase on why prices spike on a globally traded commodity. With some actual facts from my investigation, where can I pick up my Emmy?

Check out the article yourself and please let me know if I missed the part about any actual findings.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Comments<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comments followed, including several of note:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Darling<\/a>: \u201cTexaco Refinery on Rosedale is shut down courtesy of the State of California. California Republicans remained silent on getting it opened up. 75,000 BBLS\/day off the market. Then there is the ballot box!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Herman Schultz<\/a>: \u201cJust the fact that California imports oil means they pay more for the oil at the refinery as transportation costs are higher than domestically produced oil. And, imported oil generally has a higher environmental \u2019footprint\u2019; especially if transported via tanker as those spew out lots of greenhouse gases.
So, using locally produced oil means lower transport costs and fewer greenhouse gas emissions; seemingly worthy goals for the study and they didn\u2019t identify these?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor White<\/a>: \u201cThe crazy thing is we are playing a net negative game on Carbon emissions because we produce oil cleaner than anywhere in the world. So, we sacrifice clean production here for environmentally unclean production elsewhere because we have to import what the state won\u2019t let us produce.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gregory Gordon<\/a>: \u201cTai Milder must be utterly shocked & dumbfounded to realize that the sinister, unexplained \u201coil industry markup\u201d on gas prices ends abruptly at the state border! Perhaps oil companies are only interested in making huge profits within the state of California? (Or could there be other forces at work here?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Final Comment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Periodic investigations by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission regarding gasoline prices have resulted in supply-and-demand explanations with government policy included. The California Energy Commission needs to wrap up its study and, as necessary, offer a conclusion that is politically incorrect but economically correct. Little doubt, California energy policy needs a dose of reality\u2014and an about-face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One other note: little wonder that\u00a0Chevron left California for Houston<\/a>, still the center of energy exceptionalism despite the false hyperbole of \u201cenergy transition<\/a>.\u201d Producers of real value can vote with their feet, and California should take the hint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe California Energy Commission needs to wrap up its study and, as necessary, offer a conclusion that is politically incorrect but economically correct. Little doubt, California energy policy needs a dose of reality-and about face.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":340860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691830351,691818069,691830352],"class_list":{"0":"post-340854","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-california-energy-commission","9":"tag-gas-prices","10":"tag-transportation-costs-are-higher","12":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0California-Energy-Commission-Logo.png?fit=1853%2C940&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1qFE","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":291254,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=291254","url_meta":{"origin":340854,"position":0},"title":"The California Sun is Setting on Exorbitant Rooftop Solar Subsidies","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"14\/12\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"California\u2019s journey with solar net energy metering (NEM) is a case study in the complexities of energy policy. 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