California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), presiding over the highest gas prices in the state’s history as he takes steps to put the retail gas industry out of business, called Friday for a special legislative session in December to deal with the issue of soaring gas prices.
Newsom, facing reelection, announced last year that he would end permits for fracking in California by 2024, and that he would attempt to end oil and gas extraction in the state by 2045. Before that, in September 2020 — weeks after a statewide power shortage led to rolling blackouts because of the weakness of solar and wind energy — he announced plans to ban the sale of gas-powered cars in California, despite evidence that doing so would wipe out tens of thousands of jobs, including at mom-and-pop retail gas stations.
Last month, Newsom signed 40 “climate change” bills at once, many of which impose new regulations on the oil and gas industry, and mandate that the move to 90% renewable energy by 2035, from one-third today — while phasing out nuclear and natural gas.
And yet he is determined to find the culprit for high gas prices, pointing fingers at the oil and gas industry and demanding that the legislature pass a windfall tax on oil and gas companies, accusing them of profiteering from the ongoing surge in fuel prices.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported:
“It’s time to get serious,” [Newsom] told reporters during a press conference in Sacramento. “Nothing justifies these outrageous and unjustifiable prices. They’re fleecing you for billions and billions of dollars.”
Newsom said he will call the special session on Dec. 5, the same day that new lawmakers are expected to be sworn into office after the Nov. 8 election. He said state leaders have, for too long, been timid in confronting big oil about price gouging.
Californians are paying about $2.60 more per gallon for gasoline than the nationwide average. Statewide, prices hovered around $6.39 a gallon on Friday, and diesel prices were at $6.41 per gallon, according to AAA. In San Francisco, gas prices were $6.59 per gallon on average and diesel was $6.54 per gallon.
This month, Newsom’s administration will begin sending “inflation relief checks” to many residents, which Newsom proposed earlier this year as a way of helping residents afford high gas prices, though economists warned the checks would make inflation worse.
The Los Angeles Times noted on Friday that state policymakers have failed to deal with the factors that contribute to high gas prices in the state, despite decades of special committees to study the issue and make recommendations, reaching back to the 1990s.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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