How fast are California gas prices dropping? Compare costs as US expense rises
Regular gas prices in California have decreased 22 cents on average in seven days, though the state average remains well above $6 per gallon as of Thursday.
A gallon of gas at the pump is averaging $6.20 in across the state.
“The sharp increase in gas prices across the West was due to oil refineries in California undergoing maintenance. As oil refineries come back online and production increases, prices have begun to decrease,” said John Treanor, an American Automobile Association spokesman, in an email statement.
Treanor also also said California has implemented the winter blend at gas pumps. The blend was released a month earlier per Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request to help mitigate rapidly rising prices.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, stated in a press release Monday, that the national gas average rose, but despite the increase, West Coast drivers saw a slight decrease.
“For now, I don’t expect much improvement in prices for most of the country, with California and the Great Lakes as the exception, with downdrafts likely in the days and weeks ahead,” De Haan stated.
Late last month, Newsom said on Twitter that oil companies were “fleecing” Californians. In the statement, he proposed a new tax on oil companies.
The proposal would require companies to pay a higher tax on their earnings, which would then be returned to California taxpayers in rebates or refunds.
California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild also released a statement after sending a letter to oil executives asking why there was a sudden gas increase in the state.
“This price spike is occurring despite decreasing crude oil prices, minimal unplanned outages for maintenance and no new state taxes or fees on gas at the pump,” Hochschild stated.
In Sacramento County, a gallon of regular gas is averaging $6.13 per gallon, making it seven cents cheaper than the state average. To help drivers in the state with rising fuel costs, the state did begin releasing the California inflation relief payments on Oct. 7.
This story was originally published October 13, 2022 at 6:00 PM with the headline "How fast are California gas prices dropping? Compare costs as US expense rises."