(The Center Square) – The Democratic governor of Arizona, Republican governor of Nevada, Chevron, and California Republicans are ringing the alarm on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s steadily advancing refinery regulations, saying they’ll reduce energy supplies and raise prices.
Newsom called a special legislative session to require refineries to maintain more than two weeks’ worth of inventory, and give the state authority over when they are allowed to shut down for repairs. With California refining capacity declining faster than demand for gasoline, the state’s remaining, aging refineries — which supply Nevada and Arizona as well — constantly operate at full capacity, making frequent repairs and maintenance both necessary and disruptive.
“On top of that we have the CARB rules coming in that are not going to allow as many ships in ports. Prices are going to go up,” State Sen Brian Dahle, R-Bieber, one of the two Republicans on the special Senate Committee on Fuel Supply and Price Spikes, to The Center Square. “We do not have enough refineries as it is in California because they’ve left due to regulations. Can you imagine trying to get a storage facility built in California any time soon?”