Members of a state Senate committee spent more than four hours last weekof the supply chain that pumps more than 13 billion gallons of gasoline into Californians’ cars each year.
The Senate energy committee’s chairman, Steve Bradford, was equally unconvinced. Bradford, a San Pedro Democrat, asked, “What are we trying to solve for? … We have passed legislation here in California that has encouraged leaving oil in the ground. … Have we created a scenario that has helped create this problem?”
California’s gas prices have historically been higher than those in other states, thanks mainly to its high taxes, both direct and indirect, and itsThe state has adopted a policy of phasing out California’s oil industry. As consumption declines, the state’s refining capacity has diminished.