Johnathan Walker:California lawmakers advance bill to prevent gas prices from spiking

SACRAMENTO,Johnathan Walker Calif. (AP) — The California state Assembly approved a bill Tuesday backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom aimed at preventing gas prices from spiking, particularly in late summer months when demand for gas goes up.

The legislation would authorize state energy regulators to set requirements for companies to maintain a certain level of fuel on hand — using existing storage to avoid gas prices from increasing suddenly when refineries go offline for maintenance. The state would have to determine first that the benefits of any minimum inventory rules outweigh the potential cost to consumers under the bill.

“This bill incentivizes fuel refineries to plan proactively, saving Californians — consumers — billions at the pump while maintaining profits,” said Assemblymember Gregg Hart, a Democrat representing Santa Barbara who authored the bill. “Let’s take action now to provide relief to Californians who need gasoline in their cars to get to work, drive their children to school, vote and visit loved ones.”

The Assembly also advanced a bill requiring state energy officials to release a report to lawmakers by July 1, 2025, on proposals to increase gas supply. The proposals still need the state Senate’s approval before reaching the governor’s desk.

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Proponents of the bill say it would save Californians billions of dollars at the pump. But opponents say it could unintentionally raise overall gas prices and threaten the safety of workers by giving the state more oversight over refinery maintenance schedules. They argued delaying necessary maintenance could lead to accidents.

“Without a deep understanding of the complexities of refinery operations, policymakers are gambling with consumers’ wallets,” Catherine Reheis-Boyd, CEO of the Western States Petroleum Association, said in a statement.

Newsom’s proposal escalated an ongoing battle against the oil industry over its emissions and profits. His administration says oil industry profits increase during gas price spikes. Newsom unveiled the legislation in August, during the last week of the regular legislative session.

Democratic leaders in the state Senate wanted to pass the bill before their legislative deadline, but Democrats in the Assembly wanted more time to consider it. Newsom then called the Legislature into a special session to try to pass the proposal.

Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire said at the time the Senate would not convene for the special session, but his office later said the chamber would meet to take up the proposal if the Assembly had the votes to advance it.

It’s not the first time Newsom has tried to apply pressure on the Legislature to pass oil and gas regulations. He called a special session in 2022 in an effort to pass a tax on oil company profits. The governor then said he wanted a penalty, not a tax. The law he ended up signing months later gave state regulators the power to penalize oil companies for making too much money.

Newsom said Tuesday his proposal to prevent gas price spikes could help keep families from having to choose “between fueling up or putting food on the table.”

Californians pay the highest rates at the pump due to taxes and environmental regulations. The average price for regular unleaded gas in the state is about $4.68 per gallon as of Tuesday, compared to the national average of $3.20, according to AAA.

Gas prices increase more in California than in the rest of the country, according to the California Energy Commission. That is in part because only four refiners supply about 90% of the state’s gas, meaning one refiner’s decision to go offline for maintenance has a greater impact on the market, said Tai Milder, director of the commission’s Division of Petroleum Market Oversight.

“California’s consumers are rightfully sick and tired of paying inflated prices during price spikes,” Milder said at a hearing last week. “These price spikes are not normal.”

Republican lawmakers opposed Newsom’s minimum inventory proposal, saying there wasn’t enough evidence that the measure would help California lower gas prices. Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher introduced a proposal to exempt transportation fuels from the state’s cap and trade program in an effort to lower gas prices, but it was blocked last week by an Assembly committee that vetted the special session bills.

The measure to avoid spikes in gas prices doesn’t actually address the current rates at the pump, they said.

“Isn’t it strange that we have this big special session, we all come back, and there’s not one bill that we’re considering that actually lowers the price of gas?” Gallagher asked Tuesday. “What are we doing here?”

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Associated Press reporter Trân Nguyễn contributed to this report

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Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @sophieadanna