Washington, D.C. — California Governor Gavin Newsom today tried to blame President Donald Trump for gas prices in his state, attributing the increases to strikes on Iran. Yet, Newsom's comments come less than a year after he increased the state gas tax where families now pay a nation-leading 70 cents per gallon in taxes alone.
"Governor Newsom pointing fingers at President Trump for California's gas woes is rich, considering he's the guy whose green crusade has turned the Golden State into a refinery graveyard," said Daniel Turner, Founder and Executive Director of Power The Future. "While he's busy closing facilities and forcing families to foot the bill for bizarre Bahamas oil detours, prices are skyrocketing on his watch. It's time for Newsom to drop the partisan spin and own his failed policies that are squeezing every last cent from hardworking Californians."
Under Newsom's leadership, California's gas prices peaked at a staggering $6.29 per gallon in June 2022, far outpacing the national average. His stringent environmental regulations have driven refinery closures, slashing the state's refining capacity and forcing increased imports. To skirt federal laws, suppliers now route gasoline from the U.S. Gulf Coast to the Bahamas for storage and transshipment before shipping it through the Panama Canal to California—a convoluted, costly loophole that adds shipping, storage, and handling fees, all passed on to consumers and exacerbating the state's highest-in-the-nation prices.
Power The Future is a 501c4 non-profit dedicated to fighting for American energy workers.
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