California seems determined to drive every productive enterprise out of the state. Taxes, regulations, and more are driving the productive away, and the people who are left are paying the price - in the case of gasoline, the highest prices in the nation. Gavin Newsom's California has implemented policies that are resulting in refinery shutdowns, which will inevitably cause California's gas prices to rise even higher.
California's fuel market is entering another period of strain as refinery capacity continues to shrink in the nation's largest gasoline market. The planned closure of Valero's Benicia refinery, one of the state's remaining major facilities, is expected to tighten supply in a system that already operates with little margin for disruption.
A "period of strain" we can translate as "OMG gas prices are going through the roof!" It's already happening:
That tightening supply has already translated into higher prices and growing uncertainty for drivers, according to California lawmakers, who warn the situation is no longer theoretical.
"California is truly at a breaking point. Refineries are closing, supply is diminishing, and my constituents are paying more at the pump every single day," Republican state Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares said.
This isn't a new thing; California has been walking towards this cliff for years. There isn't a business-hostile policy that the once-Golden State's Democrat-controlled legislature has been willing to try; there isn't a level of lunacy that Sacramento hasn't been willing to try.
Now this state's refineries are closing, and it's Sacramento's fault.
The Benicia facility, located in Northern California, has played a significant role in supplying gasoline to a state that consumes more fuel than any other except Texas. Its closure follows a wave of refinery exits that has steadily reduced California's ability to produce its own gasoline, leaving the state increasingly dependent on a small number of remaining plants and imported fuel that must meet its unique regulatory standards.
With fewer refineries operating, even routine maintenance or unexpected outages can quickly ripple through prices at the pump.
We might also remember that California can't easily import gasoline, due to its ridiculous multiple-blend policies.
Read More: Great News on Gas Prices
Garcia: California’s High Gas Prices Are a Choice – Not a Necessity
This is how leftist - socialist - policies always end up. Socialism equals scarcity, unless, of course, you're one of the ruling class, in which case there is no luxury that is out of reach; when it comes to themselves, socialist leadership can be relied upon to spare no expense. T'was ever thus, and still is.
What's encouraging is that there are still California Republicans fighting against this stupidity; some of them are friends and colleagues of mine. This is just a gut feeling of mine, based on my obsession with reading news and opinion pieces, but there are hopeful signs that common sense is making something of a comeback in California.
Let's hope that's true. Let's hope that California's Republicans can start making some inroads back into the state legislature. Let's hope that things can improve enough to see some of these businesses return to California.
If this doesn't happen, California may be the first location in the USA to experience gasoline over $10 per gallon.
Editor’s Note: Hollywood, academia, and liberal elites are out of touch with the average American.
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