Blue state regulators could hike price at pump just days after election, GOP lawmakers warn
Californians already paying the highest gas prices in the country could have another tax hike headed their way, if proposed changes to the state's low carbon fuel standard are adopted.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) — which consists of board members appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democrat-controlled legislature — is scheduled to vote just days after the election on a new proposal that would lower carbon emissions faster, but increase the cost of petroleum refineries. CARB has the authority to impose regulations without legislative oversight.
Twenty-five Republicans are sounding the alarm and urging the board to delay the vote after an independent finding showed it could increase the cost at the pump per gallon by 47 cents.
CALIFORNIA'S 'SECRET' 50-CENT GAS TAX HIKE COMING IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS
"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."
In a letter to CARB chair Liane Randolph, Ochoa Bogh and Assemblymember Greg Wallis noted that Californians currently pay $1.50 more per gallon than the national average, and CARB’s proposed changes could add 65 to 85 cents next year, potentially 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 estimated a 47-cent per gallon increase in gas prices for public comment, but retracted the estimate after receiving massive backlash.
The CARB report foresaw gasoline prices increasing due to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard reforms that were created in 2007, likely rising by 47 cents next year and 52 cents by 2026. Diesel prices could climb by 59 cents this year and 66 cents in two years. Long-term projections suggest gasoline could surge by $1.15 and diesel by $1.50 per gallon from 2031 to 2046, with jet fuel increasing by $1.21.
The air board staff later called the gas price hike projections "incomplete" in a December report, focusing instead on the cost savings to drivers as more people transition to electric vehicles.
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The Golden State's broad effort to electrify its transportation sector is part of the California Climate Commitment unveiled by Newsom two years ago. Under the plan, the state is phasing out reliance on fossil fuels, deploying green energy, cutting greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2045 and decreasing oil demand by a staggering 94%.
FOX Business reached out to CARB for comment but did not hear back by publication deadline.
Fox News Digital's Thomas Catenacci contributed to this report.