CALIFORNIA – The California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved November 8, updates to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) that previously estimated to increase gas by 47 cents per gallon starting in 2025.
The board voted 12-2 to approve the updates.
CARB said, in a statement, that the updates will accelerate the deployment of zero-emission infrastructure, and keep the state on track to meet legislatively mandated air quality and climate targets.
CA official says approval is blatant price gouging
California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R-San Diego) said the vote is nothing short of blatant price gouging by the Newsom Administration.
“The Air Resources Board’s 65-cent gas price hike is a direct assault on hardworking Californians. This unelected group of wealthy bureaucrats, handpicked and directed by Governor Newsom, is shamelessly increasing gas prices so Californians are forced into electric vehicles against their will,” said Jones.
He goes on to say that the board pushed the regulation through right after the election, hoping no one would notice.
According to Jones, the Air Resources Board is responsible for implementing Newsom’s plan to convert all California vehicles to electric by 2035. He says Newsom recently called on the board to increase its efforts to achieve those targets as California is currently not on track to hit the mandate.
Annual increases
A report published by CARB staff in September 2023 indicated that the price of fuel would increase on an annual basis — starting in 2025 with 47 cents per gallon and 52 cents in 2026.
Diesel prices could rise by 59 cents in 2025 and 66 cents in 2026.
Photo credit: CARBState officials now say they cannot estimate the price increase as a result of the LCFS updates.
“Any estimate of cost from the LCFS regulatory proposal are inherently uncertain because they involve conducting estimates and speculative projections about what may happen in the future,” said a CARB staff member.
CARB did estimate that updated LCFS would make electric vehicles more affordable and would save Californians $5 billion in health care costs associated with pollution from dirty fuels.
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 approved November 8, updates to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) that previously estimated to increase gas by 47 cents per gallon starting in 2025.){kind=link}