Make polluters pay

Jul 24, 2025
Jul 24, 2025
15

Editor,

Six months after the L.A. fires, one thing is clear: Climate change is costing Californians a lot of money.

(15) comments

Terence Y Jul 24, 2025 8:27am

Thanks for your letter, Ms. Rosenberg, but the one thing that overtakes your one thing in regards to the L.A. fires is that due to their lack of preparation and lack of forest and fire management, both Newsom and Bass don’t care about folks who were victimized by the fires. And these two still don’t care as folks who are trying to rebuild are unable to, due to red tape. As for California’s superfund bill, you may want to… pick any or make up your own… advise these folks to put in hundreds of millions of dollars into a legal fund to fight fossil fuel companies, expect fossil fuel companies to jack up their prices so consumers pay, expect fossil fuel companies to pull out of California and sell their fossil fuels to others. The bottom line is that your definition of “polluters” won’t pay. Consumers ultimately will – one way or another.

Esalinger Jul 25, 2025 7:29am

Did you miss the news that oil and gas have obscene profits in CA? They’re not going anywhere.

Terence Y Jul 28, 2025 8:43am

Esalinger, I missed that news. Could you please provide a few links from reputable sources which include an explanation of these so-called obscene profits? And why would oil and gas target CA? Weren’t there studies in the past showing oil and gas were not gouging CA but instead, CA was bringing high prices upon themselves due to their state policies?

edkahl Jul 24, 2025 2:23pm

CA would have to clean all the air in the world to have any effect on CO2 in its air. That's because the air over CA circulates over us for all around the world. CO2 will benefit plant growth while we develop inexpensive green electricity technology.

Esalinger Jul 25, 2025 7:26am

The topic is who pays for the damages caused by climate change. The polluters are raking in obscene profits and leave us to pay for rising insurance rates, rebuilding construction costs, higher electricity costs from PG&E’s litigation costs.

easygerd Jul 28, 2025 9:23am

Tbot, gas prices are $2 even $2.5 per gallon whereas gas tax is at a subsidized low $0.03 .

There is even a law now so Chevron has to show how much they are gouging. It's just that Sacramento isn't acting on it. They can however now ask for more "Donations" from the Lobbyists and the oil worker Union.

Residents of course can opt out by using other modes of transportation.

https://hanfordsentinel.com/opinion/columnists/high-time-for-action-on-gas-gouging-thomas-elias/article_619ae55a-371e-5dac-8ad3-e31a9c821c64.html

Terence Y Jul 29, 2025 8:57am

eGerd – TBot here. I’m not sure where you get your 3 cent subsidized gas tax but regardless, I call your article and I raise you the following article (https://californiaglobe.com/fr/california-government-driving-gas-prices-through-the-roof/). As for other modes of transportation it’s difficult to manage 10 bags of groceries or a case of bottled water on a bicycle or mass transit…

easygerd Jul 30, 2025 12:32pm

Haha, TBot your article is discrediting itself in the first sentence: "If oil companies are gouging, why are prices in neighboring western states like Nevada ($3.85) or Arizona ($3.30) significantly lower?"

Then they claim it's the fuel blend.

AR, NV, CA are all using the same fuel blend. It's price gouging and the new law proved it

Terence Y Jul 31, 2025 10:16am

eGerd – TBot here. You’re hilarious. I didn’t realize Arkansas (AR) was using the same fuel blend as California. Regardless, you’re telling me that California is being gouged by oil companies but these same oil companies are not gouging Arizona or Nevada (and in your case, Arkansas)? Why not? BTW, did you read the entire article? If you did, you’ve conveniently forgotten the sentence stating, “The state’s own Attorney General found no evidence of widespread price gouging, confirming that California’s policies, not corporate profits, are the culprit.” Seems the “new law” didn’t prove anything. To a more important topic, charging bicyclists tolls so they pay their fair share in transportation infrastructure? Let me pass on the idea to Dems – they love revenue generating schemes and they may be able to use these tolls to backfill the $4 billion cut from the train-to-nowhere.

easygerd Jul 31, 2025 10:36pm

So NOW you believe a CA Democrat (AG).

Introducing 'Economies of Scale'.

The special CA blend cost an additional $0.05 per GALLON if you ask a chemist or $0.15 if you ask an industry lobbyist. Either way it is even cheaper than the HUGE 3 cents per MILE in gas taxes. Basically its negligible.

CA, NV, AZ are getting their fuel from 9-11 CA instate-refineries (and Korea). They create a huge amount of CA blend, but only little for AZ and another small batch for NV - so AZ and NV are the outliers with the 'boutique blend' and they would be more expensive plus huge transportation cost on top.

And yet they are not, because fuel prices are arbritary and totally made up. The oil industry has been caught red-handed adding $2.50 in price gouging for the Bay Area, because Californians are happy to pay.

If you want solid info search for articles by Tom Elias and researcher Severin Borenstein (Berkeley).

Borenstein says Californians don't mind to pay so Chevron just raises the prices.

LV and Phoenix are using the same blend as SF and LA - but their consumers shop around for the cheapest station, whereas Californians go brand name.

easygerd Jul 31, 2025 10:47pm

And Mische is basically a lobbyist for Saudi Aramco and Chevron - not exactly an independent choice.

Now one thing that does make CA gas more expensive is the cap and trade stuff, which keeps Tesla alive, made Musk rich, which got the current president elected. Definiteley a plus for the GOP.

Terence Y Aug 1, 2025 9:02am

eGerd – TBot here. So you are admitting CA gas is more expensive than other states due to California’s policies. And you’re saying all Californians are well off enough they don’t care where they buy gas and so it they’re choosing to be gouged? That still doesn’t explain why oil companies don’t gouge everyone. Are folks in other states more intelligent than Californians? (Some would say yes since we keep voting Democrats in office.) Simply stated, oil companies don’t gouge and the fact the AG goes against his Democrat party talking points makes everyone more apt to believe the AG on this issue. BTW, I’m also still waiting on evidence of your supposed 3 cent gas tax subsidy – which I notice has now morphed into a 3 cent per mile gas tax subsidy. That’s a big difference and it makes your GALLON to MILE comparison invalid. Next rationale to deconstruct, please. Or see you at the next LTE. Gary Isoardi makes a compelling common sense argument.

easygerd Aug 1, 2025 9:46pm

Price gouging by the oil industry has been legally confirmed. It's in the books.

YES TBot, CA rules are making CA gasoline more expensive, which got Musk and Friends rich and The Don elected.

YES TBot, CA consumers do like spending on gasoline, which got Musk and Friends rich and The Don elected.

NO TBot, the CA AG did not say Chevron has not been price gouging. In fact Becerra has sued two oil companies for colluding and price gouging during the first term of The Don.

AG Xavier kind of won against the oil companies as they paid (very little though).

Terence Y Aug 2, 2025 9:10am

eGerd – TBot here. So no evidence on your 3 cent gas tax subsidy and no comment on why oil companies wouldn’t gouge other states. You say CA policies resulted in folks voting for Trump but if you hadn’t noticed, California’s electoral votes didn’t go to Trump. Seems you’re throwing whatever you can at the wall and hoping something sticks. Nothing is sticking. TBot out of this thread. Until next time.

easygerd Aug 2, 2025 12:16pm

Currently the CA gas tax cost 2-4 cents per driven mile (take a calculator and your car's mileage) or look at what CA proposes as CA Road Charges exactly 2-4 cents (Any smart AI will help in finding this).

CA is the fifth largest economy and oil consumer. There is no such thing as a "Special Isolated Little Boutique Blend" for just CA. The EXTRA production cost is less than 15 cents per gallon or less than 1 cent per driven mile.

btw. CA "sustainable Dems" are not promoting smaller and cleaner vehicles through these rules, quiet the opposite. These are car-people doing the virtue signalling dance.

CA Democrats do like the highest possible gas prices for two reasons:

A] they think higher gas prices leads to reduced Carbon emissions because people drive less, buy cars with better MPG or buy EVs.

B] to have CA GDP growing higher gas prices are great as well.

Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal.

Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.

We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.

A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!