by Katy Grimes, Senior Media Fellow and California Globe Editor
As appearing in the California Globe
California’s oil and gas industry is one of the highest taxed industries in the nation
Having just returned from a trip to Virginia, where gas prices ranged from $2.49 to $2.55, it was astounding to see California gas prices surging above $4.00 per gallon. Again.
Now it is being reported that gasoline prices at the pump have climbed for more than eight weeks in a row in California.
“California will soon be home to something not seen in nearly five years: a statewide average of over $4 per gallon, with some of the largest cities there swelling to averages as high as $4.15 per gallon before any relief arrives,” Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for fuel-price tracker GasBuddy said, and MarketWatch.com reported.
California and the West Coast has been hit particularly hard, after “seeing a surge in unexpected refinery outages, leading to an extremely tight supply of cleaner summer gasoline and causing prices to skyrocket,” said DeHaan.
