California families pay nearly $1.70 more per gallon of gas than the national average, according to data from AAA.
The average price for a gallon of regular gas in California reached $5.88 on Wednesday, compared with $4.22 nationwide. Diesel prices in the state have climbed even higher, reaching a record average of $7.87 per gallon.
That makes gas more expensive in California than in any other U.S. state, and the gap has fueled a political fight over why California drivers are paying considerably more than motorists elsewhere in the country.
Gov. Gavin Newsom took to X on Monday to sarcastically thank President Donald Trump for rising gas prices, as his administration has pointed to the conflict with Iran and disruptions to global oil markets as major drivers of the recent nationwide increase.
But while those pressures have pushed prices higher across the country, California drivers are still paying significantly more than the national average.
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Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., told the Daily Signal that California’s own energy policies have contributed to that disparity.
“California’s gas crisis is the result of poor policy and incompetent leadership. Gavin Newsom has shuttered refineries, blocked domestic production, driven the highest gas taxes in the country, and made California dependent on foreign oil from Iraq and Brazil,” he said.
The state’s refining capacity has also shrunk. Two major oil refineries recently ceased operations in California: Phillips 66’s Los Angeles-area refinery last year and Valero’s Benicia refinery this year, together representing about 17% of California’s refining capacity.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration warned that losing the two refineries could increase fuel-price volatility because California has limited connections to other major U.S. refining regions.
Fong argues that California should take a different approach, pointing to Trump’s push to increase domestic energy production and refining capacity.
“President Trump and Congress are pursuing a commonsense strategy to expand American energy production, strengthen our refining capacity, and restore our nation’s energy security. While Gavin Newsom continues to restrict California’s energy production, President Trump is working to unleash it. California has some of the nation’s largest oil and gas reserves—we should be putting those resources to work for California families and businesses to lower energy costs.”
Fong said the solution is to produce more energy in California and stop policies that he says push production and investment out of the state.
“The resources are here. The workers are here. The only thing standing in the way is Gavin Newsom,” he said.
The Daily Signal reached out to Newsom’s press office for comment but did not receive a response by publication.
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