-March 10,2022-
California Governor Gavin Newsom wants to implement a tax rebate to motorists due to the big spike in gasoline prices. Newsom said he will file a specific proposal to the legislature soon. But he refused to budge on calls to pump more oil from California fields. Here is how laid it out it out at the State of State address a few days ago.
In January we proposed to pause the gas tax increase.
Now, it’s clear we must go further.
That’s why — working with Legislative leadership — I’ll be submitting a proposal to put money back in the pockets of Californians, to address rising gas prices.
But at a time, when we’ve been heating and burning up, one thing we cannot do is repeat the mistakes of the past by embracing polluters. Drilling even more oil, which only leads to even more extreme weather, more extreme drought, more wildfire.
Entering the debate this week was House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy from Kern County who presented a letter to Newsom” calling for looser oil permitting — including a repeal of the governor’s ban on fracking — to help dull economic pain expected from President Joe Biden’s move earlier in the day to halt U.S. imports of Russian crude”reports there Bakersfield Californian
“The congressman also pressed the governor to grant oil producers’ pending and forthcoming permit applications for oilfield work in the state. He noted the Newsom administration has approved just 67 new drilling permits so far this year, even as more than 1,000 applications await review.”