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California Business Roundtable President Rob Lapsley issued the following statement today following the creation of an Assembly Select Committee to investigate California’s high gas prices and alleged price gouging:
“The causes of gas price increases have been investigated repeatedly, with several Attorneys General finding no evidence or indications of collusion, price fixing, or price gouging. What they have found time and again—both now and in prior years—is state regulations are responsible for the higher costs working families are paying. But when presented with the same conclusions on why gasoline prices are so high, prior Legislatures have chosen not to deal with the real issues, and the core causes have continued to exist and increase over time.
“That is why we are calling on this new select committee to turn its attention to California regulators, especially the Air Resources Board, which is promulgating new regulations right now that will drive gas and electricity prices up even higher, increase our reliance on unpredictable foreign markets, and force those who can least afford it to pay the most. If the Legislature is going to find solutions, it first must be honest with itself about where the problem truly lies. In the short term, the state should allow increased in-state production, which will increase supply and help alleviate the costs being disproportionately paid by families who can’t afford expensive ZEVs, can’t afford to live near their places of work, and certainly can’t afford bureaucrats driving costs even higher in the future.”
