California Gas Prices Spike Again Under Gavin Newsom’s Green Energy Agenda [WATCH]

Gasoline prices in California rose again on Tuesday following regulatory changes to the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program, raising renewed concerns of a looming fuel crisis as key refineries prepare to close and stricter environmental rules take effect.

California continues to lead the nation in fuel costs, and Republican lawmakers warn that recent changes pushed by Democratic leadership could further increase prices across the state.

On Tuesday, adjustments to the LCFS program were enacted by regulators under Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration, prompting a price increase at the pump that state officials say could continue over the next several years.

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“Not every Californian is a millionaire like our governor is … and these regulations are bearing down on the average Californian and making California unaffordable,” California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“I’m addressing the cost of gasoline in California and trying to do everything I can to repeal the regulations that are causing it to go up, while at the same time alerting Californians of the impending cost of gasoline.”

I just filed a public records request to expose how Newsom’s deceptive 65-cent gas price hike was crafted in secret.

We believe the real goal is to jack up gas prices so high that Californians are forced to buy EVs.

The public deserves the truth. #FixCalifornia pic.twitter.com/UVpzs1Qt7k

— Brian W. Jones (@SenBrianJones) May 21, 2025

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California already has the highest gas tax in the country and operates a cap-and-trade program that many link to elevated energy costs.

A study conducted by the University of Southern California projected that fuel prices could reach $8 per gallon in California by 2026, due in part to the planned closures of the Phillips 66 and Valero refineries.

While national gas prices are near a four-year low ahead of the Independence Day holiday, California drivers are paying a significantly higher rate.

According to AAA, the state’s average was approximately $4.57 per gallon as of Thursday, about $1.40 above the national average.

Tuesday’s price hike followed the implementation of the LCFS changes.

Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has set a statewide target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2045 and has supported a broad range of climate initiatives, including a mandate to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035.

That policy faced pushback after President Donald Trump signed Congressional resolutions overturning the electric vehicle (EV) sales ban.

Following the reversal, California and ten other Democrat-led states filed suit against the Trump administration to challenge the decision.

Tom Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, commented on the EV mandate, saying, “The founding fathers would be rolling over in their graves if they ever thought the government would be in the business of dictating the type of transportation that Americans can choose. The public is behind President Trump and the effort to preserve our ability to choose the types of cars that best suit our needs as consumers.”

Senator Jones has questioned whether the price increases are part of a broader political strategy to shift consumers away from conventional vehicles.

His office has submitted a records request to obtain email communications between Governor Newsom’s administration and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) regarding fuel policy planning.

“The goal here is to show by their communications that they are purposefully trying to drive up the price of gasoline so that people are forced into EVs, public transportation or bicycles,” Jones said.

According to Jones, the request has not received a response. He has also called for an audit of the LCFS to determine whether CARB properly estimated the economic impact of the policy.

Earlier projections from CARB estimated the LCFS revisions could raise gas prices by as much as 47 cents per gallon in 2024.

The agency later revised that estimate, claiming the increase could be closer to five to six cents per gallon.

Newsom’s office issued a separate statement citing a projected rise of eight cents per gallon.

Jones referred to the shifting projections as a “defensive scramble” and cited alternate estimates forecasting increases as high as 65 cents per gallon.

Jones also questioned the feasibility of transitioning to electric vehicles under the state’s current energy conditions.

He said California’s electrical grid does not have the capacity to support widespread EV charging, given its growing dependence on renewable sources.

“Wind and solar is not going to cut it here in California,” he said.

The senator also pointed to California’s dependence on oil imports, despite the state’s domestic reserves.

“We have plenty of oil in the ground, we just need to extract it,” Jones said.

He added that a petition to repeal the regulation change has received over 40,000 signatures and claimed that public opposition to recent policy moves is growing.

“After Republicans and the media exposed the truth, Californians were outraged … [and they] are waking up. They’re starting to see that the reason for sky-high gas prices is irresponsible policies pushed by the majority party,” Jones said.

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