California residents have recently experienced lowered gas prices. According to the California Energy Commission, the statewide average cost of unleaded gas per gallon was $2.44 during the week of Jan. 26 and Feb. 2.
While initially, low gas prices may seem like a reason for celebration but there is still more to the story. USA Today reports that California has the fourth highest gas prices and the fourth highest state fuel tax in the U.S. The gap between California’s gas prices compared to the rest of the country is 47 cents, according to the Gas Buddy website.
Since Jan. 1, California added a new regulation to the states cap-and-trade program, a program enacted to maintain environmentally-friendly policies by controlling emission. Under this new regulation, producers will provide consumers with more expensive fuel and diesel containing lower levels of carbon.
CA Fuel Facts states that combustion of gasoline and diesel in cars and trucks represents 38 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in California. By bringing these fuels into the cap and trade program, costs for these products are expected to raise and discourage consumption of petroleum fuel. It is estimated that the new cap and trade tax on carbon emission will initially cost an extra 12 cents per gallon and will increase over time, according to CA Fuel Facts. Sen. Andy Vidak (R-Hanford) is a critic of this new regulation.
“I believe it’s common sense,” Vidak told Breitbart News. “So many people in California probably don’t know this is coming. They’ve seen gas prices go down across the country, and now here we go with this new tax, implemented by an un-elected, unaccountable Board. Only in California are gas prices actually going to go up.” Vidak also dicussed issues regarding transpor-tion for schools. “Another issue is transportation costs for our school districts,” Vidak said. “When you’re putting more of the general fund into transportation in-stead of student activities and teachers… I mean, these schools were just starting to see some relief.”
Twenty-five percent of the funds that the cap-and-trade system generates goes towards the high-speed rail system. The system would initially con-nect Los Angeles and San Francisco for a traveling time of about three hours and would cost an esti-mated $68 billion. California will continue to have to higher gas prices than most states as the state works towards environmentally-friendly fuel and diesel as well as the potential of the high-speed rail system.