Not only taxes, but a specific California blend CARBOB, with 17% of the refineries that made it shutting down [1], causing a big reversal in policy perspectives to pro oil to slow down refineries from leaving [2], and the need to import, by sea, 20% from participating refineries in Asia [3] and 40% from Bahamas [4].
California being on the path to high prices this year was all over the news last year [5], but nobody seems to remember that, instead blaming it all on the Iran conflict.
California being on the path to high prices this year was all over the news last year [5], but nobody seems to remember that, instead blaming it all on the Iran conflict.
[1] https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65704
[2] https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/08/oil-compromise-calif...
[3] https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/california-high...
[4] https://www.americanenergyalliance.org/2026/02/newsom-import...
[5] https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2025/12/07/newsom...