Calif. deploying secret weapon to raise gas prices by as much as 50 cents a gallon
NY Post
A longstanding emissions reduction program may lead to a 50-cent increase in gasoline prices within two years in California, according to a little-known state air quality regulator report.
In September, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the state’s primary environmental regulator, reported gas prices will rise next year by about 50 cents a gallon and every year thereafter to aid in clean air efforts.
The price increase does not include the existing gas tax in the state.
Republican state Sen. Janet Nguyen, one of the legislature’s most critical tax hawks, told Fox News Digital the “secret” tax increase “would penalize the majority of Californians.”
“The middle class, the low income, they can’t afford gas to go to school, work or grocery or the doctor’s office,” Nguyen said. “No one knows about this. I think people just think it’s a tax, so they don’t know the difference between the carbon tax versus the state tax. It’s almost like a tax on the tax.”
The report foresees gasoline price increases 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.
