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Posted on 02/15/2026 12:38:37 PM PST by lowbridge
These are draining times for your bank account at the gas pump.
California gas prices have jumped up to 40 cents in two weeks, as refinery closures tighten fuel supplies across the state.
The statewide average now stands at $4.582 per gallon, up from $4.463 a week ago and $4.182 just 14 days ago, according to the American Automobile Association.
Energy experts say the spike is tied directly to shrinking refinery capacity.
Specifically, Valero’s Benicia refinery — a key Northern California supplier — is in the process of idling operations. The move follows other major pullbacks, including Phillips 66’s Los Angeles refinery, steadily reducing California’s ability to produce its own gasoline.
In 1982, California imported around 6% of its oil from foreign sources. Today, the Golden State imports roughly 70%.
“I’m afraid Valero will have more of an effect on our region,” Michael Ariza, Petroleum expert told the California Globe. “In the Bay Area we only have two out of five refineries producing gasoline, jet fuel, and propane. Valero is down, ConocoPhillips in Rodeo and Marathon in Martinez are only producing biodiesel.”
Places like San Francisco and San Rafael have prices topping $4.80 per gallon, marking some of the highest rates in the state right now.
Prices are expected to rise further this year.
Experts warned in a UC Davis study that by August 2026 — when the full impact of refinery closures is realized — California gas prices could climb by as much as $1.21 per gallon if no major market changes occur.
“In 2000, the California gas price was approximately $0.25 higher than the national average, but by 2025 the difference increased to $1.50,” wrote Bulat Gafarov, a co-author of the paper and an assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics at UC Davis.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Why the hell did I do that?
That state is never going to be a place that would elect another Ronald Reagan and it's foolish to believe that it will.
Can’t the governor slap a ceiling on gas prices?
The environmental Left has demonized refineries for years. Especially in one-party states like California where there is no pushback to oppresive regulation that makes it hard to operate and maintain, much less build new, refinieries. The chickens are coming home to roost and all the wind and solar in the world isn’t going to save them.
“...The chickens are coming home to roost and all the wind and solar in the world isn’t going to save them....”
And neither should we via of the federal government..... spit.
As Gavin would say, “It’s the California way.”
This is what they get for allowing the Democrats to continue cheating their way into political power. Kalifornia is where CW2 needs to start. And Newsom is the Democrat’s supposed front runner for the WH?
I believe that local refineries like the Benicia one have pipelines supplying fuel to local airports. So costs for airlines will increase as they will need to truck in aviation fuel. Maybe Gov Newsom will mandate that airlines use electric planes.
Yup. I noticed that when I filled up the other day. Usually I drive 3 miles to work each day round trip, so I don’t do much harm to the ozone layer, but I had to go 70 miles on Thursday and she was low so I needed to gas ‘er up. $4.95 a gallon for premium. Not the worse I’ve seen in my life but I expect that’s coming eventually.
California’s 2026 primary is June 2. It’s going to be entertaining to watch the Dems struggle to keep gas prices down before then.
“”” and she was low so I needed to gas ‘er up. $4.95 a gallon for premium.”””
I paid 2.59 in Minneapolistan on Friday.
Wow, we’re in deep doo-doo. Since local refineries are shutting down in California, our fuel will now be largely imported from Asia. Crude oil from Middle East, jet fuel from Korea, gasoline from India Japan and Taiwan.
If China disrupts the Pacific sea lanes (which it will do), then we’re screwed. Newsom messed us up good.
It will only get worse
Lucky me, I drive less than 8,000 retired miles per year.
“Experts warned in a UC Davis study that by August 2026 — when the full impact of refinery closures is realized — California gas prices could climb by as much as $1.21 per gallon if no major market changes occur. “
That only happens if every politician is hanging from a lamppost. And they know it.
They’ve hit the tolerance limit.
Not good enough, Gov Goodhair and his merry band of Marxists in the legislature needs to get it up to at least $8 a gallon.
“They’ve hit the tolerance limit”
Haw, Californians like it good and hard. Well, this Californian doesn’t. Fortunately between my wife and I we drive MAYBE 3,500 miles a year.
They passed a law requiring refineries to store tens of millions of gallons, in the eventuality of a temporary refinery shutdown, so that prices would remain stable with supply on hand. There is some logic there as a business decision, but not as a regulatory mandate. So Instead of building storage, they shut down and moved the money to Texas. And we don’t even have a pipeline so they have to ship or truck fuel in. This has to be one of the worst managed states in the nation due to the economic and cultural stupidity of its leaders and the brainwashed locked in votes from government unions who elect them.
We used to build cars and airplanes. We used to make movies and tv shows. We used to incubate technology. Now we’re losing it all. It’s just a state for the wealthy who build $14 million homes on ‘stolen land’ and those who have owned homes for more than 20 years who have low mortgage (if at all) and low property taxes due to their low cost basis. Eventually they will die or sell and move on. We won’t build desalination, we blew up 4 dams to repopulate fish species that haven’t lived in those rivers for 100 years. We can’t put out fires in the cities, we decommissioned nuclear power while demanding 30% of cars be electric and much of the state is a desert that needs electricity for air conditioning and water to grow crops. Big business is fleeing or floundering under the weight of it all. But the government pensioners still expect 11% annual returns on their CALPERS investment funds in perpetuity. Any idiot who votes for Newsom should spend 24 hours in the rack in the town square but we can’t grow enough tomatoes to throw at them.
And for those who are in favor of term limits, learn from our mistake (which I voted against just like I voted against legal marijuana dispensaries). Term limits just means special interests get their candidates in office for 2 terms and then pay them off on the back-end, kicking the repercussions can down the road to the next schemer who takes their office. No institutional memory and nobody to see a project through. But all roads end, eventually. But even after the u-turn it’s a long way back - and we won’thave the fuel (er, electricity?) to get back to where we started.
Yup. About $2 of that cost per gallon is the tax. Under California land had lots of oil. Now we import the oil and next year we’ll import gasoline made from imported foreign oil and refined out of state.
Gosh. If they only had an economical train or something
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