Gas price fears drive pushback against California plan to overhaul climate program

California's Republican representatives in Congress are pushing back against state plans to tighten carbon reduction policies, arguing that doing so would cause a sharp rise in gasoline prices.

All 12 of the Golden State's U.S. House members sent a letter on Friday to the California Air resources Board (CARB), urging the agency to delay a decision that they believe would cause undue pain at the pump. The vote is scheduled for Nov. 8, just three days after the national elections.

"State agencies should not be enacting new regulations raising our cost of living by dramatically increasing already-high gas prices,” Rep. Michelle Steel (R), who led the letter, said in a statement.

“CARB must delay their November 8 vote and study the impact their regulations will have on all Californians," added Steel, who is up for reelection in a tight race against Democrat Derek Tran.

The vote on the table relates to changes in California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard, a program designed to reduce the carbon intensity of fuels statewide, decrease petroleum dependency and achieve air quality gains.

The standard, implemented in 2011, requires fuel producers to stay below certain carbon intensity thresholds — either by using lower-carbon resources themselves or by acquiring credits from industries that do so.

The proposed amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard center on "increasing the stringency of the program to more aggressively decarbonize fuels."

Among the possible changes include incentivizing more production of clean fuels, such as low-carbon hydrogen, as well as reducing methane emissions and integrating biologically sourced methane into the transportation sector.

At the same time, the amendments would also strengthen guardrails on crop-based fuels, to avoid deforestation and other possibly adverse impacts.

But the U.S. House Republicans argued in their letter that implementing more stringent standards "would create a hidden 47 cent per gallon fee on California drivers every time they go to the pump in 2025."

The writers were citing assessments included in CARB’s September 2023 regulatory impact report, although the agency has since backtracked on these evaluations.

Specifically, the report said that in 2025, the amendments could lead to price hikes in gasoline, diesel and petroleum-based jet fuel by about $0.47, $0.59 and $0.44 per gallon, respectively.

Yet earlier this month, a statement from CARB stressed that these increases were only estimates based on models, noting that they "should not be misconstrued as a prediction of the future credit price nor as a direct impact on prices at the pump."

However, the letter writers slammed CARB for failing to reissue a regulatory impact analysis, while accusing the agency of misleading members of the public.

"CARB's new and opaque approach comes as Californians continue to weather gas prices $1.50 per gallon above national averages," the writers stated.

Stressing that Californians with lower economic means typically shoulder the burden when the state raises costs of living, the writers urged CARB to evaluate how the proposals would impact these populations.

“Californians are already paying the highest gas prices in the nation because of our state’s gas tax,” co-lead writer Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) said in a statement.

“It is unacceptable that unelected bureaucrats at CARB are attempting to quietly pass new rules that will raise gas prices even more for Central Valley families," added Valadao, who is also facing a tight race next week against his Democratic opponent, Rudy Salas, in his agriculture-rich region.

The writers collectively called for "complete transparency" and "a well-defined process for public feedback," which they described as crucial to maintaining CARB's regulatory integrity.

The Hill has reached out to CARB for comment.