However, to address your main point. Thanks to Government regulation, lawsuit abuse by “environmental activists” and out of control regulators in various “Environmental Projection Agency's” at both the state and Federal level we have NO Free Market in Energy.
As yourself this. Why don’t a collection of the Always Angry Media types get together with some fat cat like George Soros and build a refinery? After all, look at the “massive profits” to be made if you cut in on “Big Oil”’s action?
Because they cannot. NO one can afford to sink the billions into a new refinery to fight their way thru the maze of various Govt regulatory agencies, the junk lawsuits from every greenie wacko then buy the land, equipment et al and pay all the taxes while waiting 10-15 years for that investment to pay itself off. Much easier to just import gas like we do oil.
The problem is we have TOO much Govt regulating this industry so the result is “Big Oil” has what amounts to a Govt Imposed Monopoly on the production of Gasoline! Govt is the PROBLEM not the SOLUTION here.
This legislation, aims to punish “evil” Big Oil (TM) by smacking down the independent service station owner.
This is like punishing the syringe maker when the vaccine causes a bad reaction...
“Congress: The last refuge of a scoundrel”