California Lawmakers Pass Legislation to Prevent Gas Price Spikes

October 1, 2024

KQED

Severin Borenstein, Energy Institute Faculty Director, shares on KQED that California’s elevated state taxes and strict environmental regulations have contributed to higher gas prices since 2015, a phenomenon he refers to as the “Mystery Gasoline Surcharge”.

“‘It’s important to recognize the whole idea of inventories, it focuses on these price spikes,’ Borenstein told KQED. ‘Not the overall long-run — high prices in California — which are not going to be addressed by these proposals…’It’s a piece of it. But it’s not the most important problem in California,’ Borenstein added.’”

Photo: kqed.org