Melvin Ladousier: Cap & trade reason gas prices spiked in March

Re. “Traction for gas price fight” (Page A5, March 31): There is no mystery why gas prices jumped $1 a gallon in early March. No wasteful probe is necessary. The oil industry is not a California industry. Cap & trade rules applied to motor fuel in this state can be laid off over several states to camouflage its cost impact at the California pump. Rest assured the oil industry will make the consumer pay for any form of taxation a government imposes on their products. Compare the timing of implementation of the cap-and-trade rules with the price spike, and recall the predictions of the impact that cap-and-trade was expected to have on the fuel price at the pump. National news mentioned no crisis in the Middle East, or anywhere else that would have justified a spike in oil prices. Look at oil commodity price trends – no indicator there for a sharp increase. Draw your own conclusions.

This story was originally published April 2, 2015 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Melvin Ladousier: Cap & trade reason gas prices spiked in March."