‘Green’ Regulations Could Be the End of the Road for California Drivers 

Remember the California dream? Golden sunshine, endless opportunity, and a car to take you there. For many, that dream now sputters to a halt at the gas station, with prices that feel like a punch to the gut. We’re told it’s a complex global issue and that greedy oil companies are at fault. Meanwhile, across most of the country the average gasoline prices have dropped to the lowest levels in roughly four years—suggesting that California’s far higher prices are self-inflicted. Indeed, a significant part of this pain is homegrown, a direct result of state policies like the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). And with recently implemented new rules, the already crushing burden on California families and businesses could send prices soaring towards an unthinkable eight dollars per gallon. This isn’t just about fuel; it’s about our ability to live and thrive.

At its core, the LCFS forces fuel producers to reduce the “carbon intensity” of their products or buy credits from those who do. If their products create “too much” carbon, they must buy “credits” from producers of lower-carbon alternatives. It sounds technical, but the outcome is simple: these costs are passed directly to the consumer every time they fill their tank. While government estimates suggest the LCFS currently adds around 10 cents per gallon, independent projections for the future are far more alarming. Some analyses, such as from the University of Pennsylvania, project the new LCFS rule could add up to $1.50 in additional cost per gallon of gas within the next 10 years. This isn’t just a line item; it’s a direct hit on family budgets, small businesses, and our state’s economic vitality, all in the name of a top-down mandate.

The worst part is that the LCFS ruling will come as a one-two punch. On July 1, California drivers faced yet another policy squeeze. That’s when the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) more stringent LCFS mandates officially began — and on the same day, the state’s excise tax on gasoline jumped from 59.6¢ to 61.2¢ per gallon. California families, brace yourselves.

Don’t think that some elected officials didn’t speak up, but unfortunately efforts to protect Californians from this July 1 surcharge were defeated. Senate Republicans introduced Senate Bill 2 to stop the price hike, but Democrats blocked it—despite warnings that the added costs would devastate family budgets and disproportionately affect the poor. With the tax increase and regulatory tightening coinciding, misguided Senators in Sacramento are committing political malpractice for drivers who can least afford it.

Proponents of the LCFS, including a spokesman from CARB, have downplayed its financial impact, suggesting it adds only a few cents to the price of gasoline. They call higher estimates “misinformation.” But math is real, and it doesn’t lie. Californians witnessing sky-high prices and independent projections forecasting cost increases have every right to be skeptical. These policies don’t exist in a vacuum; they compound other taxes and regulations that make California one of the most expensive places to fuel a vehicle. We must evaluate these programs not only by their stated intentions, but also by their real-world consequences on the people they are supposed to serve.

The LCFS is not really about fuel; it’s about control. It aims to make gas so expensive consumers will desperately pursue alternatives. What are these alternatives? Often, they are unreliable solar and wind energy, which currently provide less than 5% of world energy and only produce electricity, a fraction of our total energy needs. These sources are intermittent by nature and require massive mining operations for their materials and extensive land use, creating their own significant impacts on our surroundings. Labeling them “renewable” ignores the non-renewable resources consumed in their production and disposal. True progress comes from innovation and allowing all energy sources to compete on merit, not from government dictators that pick winners and losers. This is especially true when the “winners” can’t reliably power our lives or our economy.

The LCFS and its recent tightening are not just policy tweaks; they are a direct assault on the living standards of Californians. We are being asked to sacrifice our prosperity for an ideology that values an abstract notion of “green” over the concrete needs of people. It’s time to tell Sacramento that we reject this path. Demand an end to these costly mandates. Let’s champion policies that empower Californians, not impoverish them. The road to $8/gallon gas is paved with these kinds of regulations. It’s time to choose a different route, one that leads to a more prosperous future for all of us.