Limiting California’s access to the exact types of crude oil its facilities need will only increase prices for the state’s consumers and travelers. Drivers are already dealing with gasoline prices in excess of $5 per gallon and the highest fuel taxes of the 50 states. Confining energy producers and consumers to a smaller pool of crude oil will make a very sensitive price environment that much worse.
AAA expects roughly 45 million travelers to head out of town and go at least 50 miles from home over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, breaking a 20-year travel record in the process. The vast majority of these travelers—nearly 90%—are likely to be road warriors, driving cars and trucks fueled by American-made gasoline.
Every day, U.S. consumers purchase more than 350 million gallons of gasoline to get to work and school, to go on vacation and to see family. But what goes into the price we pay for gasoline?
