The Republicans in California want to make sure that everyone knows that Governor Gavin Newsom is trying to do something about the state’s exorbitant gas costs.
Republicans in California have a chance to link the state’s consistently high gas prices to Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris, a fellow Californian, thanks to Newsom’s attempt to increase regulators’ power over oil firms in the final week of the state’s legislative session.
On Wednesday, Rep. Vince Fong tweeted on X, “Newsom is following Kamalanomics in pushing terrible policies not grounded in economic reality.”
Republicans from swing states are getting involved. Newsom proposed a plan on Tuesday that would allow the state to require refiners to hold additional gas. Today, Arizona’s state Senate president Warren Petersen wrote to warn of “dire impact” from this idea. An increase in supply, according to Newsom’s administration, would reduce price increases caused by shortages.
Given the limited storage capacity of refineries, the oil industry contends that Newsom’s action will worsen supply-driven shortages. Those in favor of the measure argue that it will increase prices rather than decrease them, endangering the financial well-being of consumers in California and neighboring states at a time when California is facing increased scrutiny from the federal government.
Tuesday saw the launch of advertisements in Sacramento and in-state swing districts by the Western States Petroleum Association, which encompasses not just California but also Nevada, Arizona, and Oregon. The ads question the state’s decision to alter gas prices at a time when inflation is beginning to decline.
Kevin Slagle, a spokesperson for WSPA, stated in an interview that California policies will inevitably be discussed at the national level due to the current situation of the presidential election and Newsom’s highly visible presence on the national scene. “Our goal is to put an end to harmful policies in California, but it wouldn’t be shocking if this became a topic of conversation on a national scale.”
“Hundreds of millions of dollars every year by helping prevent gas price spikes — including for those states like Arizona and Nevada that get their gas from California,” stated Alex Stack, a spokesman for Newsom-administration.
“However, the reason they are attempting to thwart this is because these profit spikes are beneficial for Big Oil and their Republican supporters,” he stated.
Earlier this summer, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo voiced his opposition to California’s possible profit cap on oil refineries, drawing criticism from Republicans and putting Newsom, a prominent advocate for Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, in the spotlight. The California Energy Commission is expected to reach a conclusion this autumn, as authorized by a 2022 law signed by Newsom.
The nomination of Harris increases the likelihood that Republican policies will target California.
Legislator James Gallagher, a Republican hailing from the suburbs of Sacramento, expressed concern that the state is being seen more as a cautionary tale than an example of how things should be done. “They’re trying to tell you not to do this,”
Formerly in her career, Harris fought for energy initiatives including a fracking moratorium, but now she is abandoning such positions. Thursday, in her first interview since claiming the Democratic presidential nomination, Harris reaffirmed her stance that fracking should not be banned in an interview with CNN. Additionally, she has refrained from being part of the current crackdown on the oil business in California. This crackdown includes new regulations limiting the proximity of oil wells to houses, schools, and other sensitive locations, as well as a lawsuit aiming to recover damages caused by climate change from oil majors.
Nevertheless, Gallagher expressed his belief that she ought to address the in-state discussion.
California has some of the nation’s most expensive energy bills as a result of its energy policies; do you think these are good or bad policies? Similar to what we’ve done in California, would you impose regulations on domestic oil wells? Would you harm our domestic energy production by doing that on a national scale? Since this is your home state, I believe these are all excellent questions to ask Kamala Harris.
Requests for response went unanswered by either the Trump or Harris teams, but questions regarding California are sure to come up at the first debate on September 10.
