Kevin Kiley: “Californians could soon be paying over $8 a gallon for gasoline. That is the result of the disastrous policies that have…”

“Californians could soon be paying over $8 a gallon for gasoline. That is the result of the disastrous policies that have been imposed by Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature's supermajority. The most recent news is that there are two refineries that are closing operations in California: the Phillips 66 refinery in L.A. by the end of 2025, and the Valero refinery by April 2026. According to a letter from Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones in California, these two facilities produce about 20 percent of California's in-State gasoline supply. According to a recent study by USC Professor Michael Mische, the effect of this is going to be an increase in gas prices in California of up to 75 percent by April of 2026. The projections estimate a 33.6 percent increase just by April of 2025. By next year, 2026, we could see prices rising as high as $8.43 per gallon by the end of 2026. This is because we are going to see a severe decline in in-State production. Indeed, it could fall from over 34 million gallons per day in 2023 to just 27 million gallons by the end of 2026. Then you factor in the higher transportation costs. You are going to see Californians not only paying these astronomical prices at the gas station, but it is going to increase the cost of goods and services throughout the economy. That is not to mention that it is going to lead to the loss of hundreds of jobs for the folks who were working at these refineries.…”