Energy

Most Of Gas Price Surge Likely Due To Gouging

April 28, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>There is absolutely no doubt about a few facts surrounding the gasoline price surge Californians experienced in late winter and early spring.</p> <p>In March, California prices averaged 84 cents per gallon higher than the national average of $2.54 per gallon, rising to $3.38 after a wintertime dip.</p>

Op-Ed Commentary: Big Oil Has Lots Of Explaining To Do On Gasoline Price Spikes

April 19, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<div id="content-body-713359-18816618"> <p>To death and taxes, add one more certainty: Big Oil will always triumph at the expense of our families unless California starts standing up to oil companies by refusing to tolerate a system rigged in their favor.</p> <p>In February, when two refineries were mismanaged and went offline, gas prices spiked – forcing California drivers to pay nearly $1 more a gallon than motorists elsewhere. The price gap with the average for other states is still 70 cents.</p>

What’s Behind California’s Big Gas-Price Gap?

April 10, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>Motorist paid nearly $1 per gallon more than national average in March, CEC Says</b></p> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden"> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item even"> <p><strong>SAN FRANCISCO –</strong> March was an expensive month for motorists in California.</p> <p>According to the California Energy Commission (CEC), the state’s energy policy and planning agency, retail gasoline prices averaged 90 cents more per gallon (CPG) than the national average in March.</p>

California Activists Call For Oil Company Subpoenas

April 1, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span id="articleText"><span class="focusParagraph">(Reuters) - Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer and the head of a consumer watchdog group on Tuesday said California state lawmakers should subpoena oil industry executives if they fail to answer questions about February's gasoline price spike.</span></span></p> <p style=""><span id="articleText">The call comes after oil executives were absent from a March 24 state Senate hearing in Sacramento examining the dollar-a-gallon price spike that hit motorists in February.</span></p>

Why Gas Prices In California Are So Much Higher Than Elsewhere In U.S.

April 1, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5em;"><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-11037" alt="" class="right" src="http://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/images_la-fi-g-california-gas-prices-20150331.png" style="width: 550px; height: 309px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="550" height="309" />Californians are used to gyrating gas prices, but the latest swing from the lowest in years to nearly a dollar above the national average is leaving drivers in a tizzy.</span></p>

Santa Monica Consumer Group Blames Refineries for Pump Price Spikes

April 1, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>While crude oil prices stayed low, prices at the pump for California drivers shot up $1 in February, and motorists in the Golden State continue to be squeezed by price spikes while refineries reap big profits, a Santa Monica consumer advocacy group said last week.</p>

Tom Steyer Wants ‘Answers’ for California Gas Price Spike

March 30, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<div id="content-body-713359-16955615"> <p>When California lawmakers met last week to begin asking questions about the recent rise in gasoline prices, Tom Steyer took notice.</p> <p>Steyer, the billionaire environmental activist and Democratic mega-donor, signed his name to a letter Monday sharing his appreciation for the Senate’s preliminary probe into why gas prices rose by more than $1 a gallon in early March.</p>

State Lawmakers Probe Surge In Gasoline Prices

March 25, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>State senators investigating a recent surge in California pump prices at a Tuesday hearing grappled with price-fixing accusations and pressure to shift to alternative fuels.</p> <p>Members of the transportation, housing and energy, utilities and communications committees questioned why retail gasoline prices in California rocketed past prices in the rest of the country last month and are only gradually floating back down.</p>

Price Spike Fuels Hearing

March 25, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>State legislators seek answers for California's much higher gasoline costs</strong></p> <p>As Inland Southern California motorists forked out more than 80 cents per gallon more than the national average for gasoline Tuesday, state lawmakers questioned the recent wild swings in prices and urged regulators to do more to reduce market volatility.</p> <p>"How can such a well-functioning market be subject to such volatility?" asked Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, who helped lead a legislative hearing on the topic in Sacramento.</p>

Gas Price Swings Prompt Questions About California’s Market

March 24, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - State lawmakers on Tuesday questioned the recent wild swings in California's gas prices and asked whether regulators can do more to reduce market volatility while government promotes alternative fuels to increase competition.</p> <p>"How can such a well-functioning market be subject to such volatility?" asked Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, who helped lead the legislative hearing in Sacramento.</p>

Watchdog Group Pans California Refineries For Price Gouging

March 24, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>Group tells Senate committee this latest price increase was orchestrated by refineries</b></p> <p><span class="authorLocation">SACRAMENTO, Calif. -</span> A consumer watchdog report says California oil refineries have about half as much gasoline on hand compared to the rest of the country. Tuesday a consumer advocate told a Senate committee the situation has lead to a spike in gasoline prices for Californians.</p> <p>The report conducted by Consumer Watchdog says oil refineries are gouging Californians by keeping the state running on empty. </p>

California Gas Prices Spike Nearly $1 Per Gallon Higher Than U.S. Average

March 24, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SACRAMENTO -- Gasoline prices in California, which typically run about 30 cents higher than the national average, have spiked to nearly a dollar higher over the past month in one of the sharpest run-ups in U.S. history.</p> <p>From Feb. 1 to March 2, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in the state jumped from $2.43 to $3.40, and the climb continued even as crude oil prices fell.</p>