Another fleecing of California:

From the Okland Tribune (06 Feb 2003):

According to AAA statistics, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded in Oakland was $1.82 on Wednesday, up 14 cents from a month ago.

California is the second-most expensive place in the country to buy gasoline, after Hawaii, according to AAA statistics. The average price for regular unleaded in California on Wednesday was $1.74 a gallon. That's 20 cents above the national average of $1.54.

From the Los Angeles Times (10 Feb 2003):

... a host of special circumstances in California keep oil supplies ahead of demand by the thinnest of margins. The state's oil companies, for example, cannot rely on outside sources for gasoline because California's strict emission standards prescribe a fuel formula like no other. And that difference could be exacerbated by the state's replacement of the gasoline additive MTBE with ethanol, a transition already underway.

From the Los Angeles Times (27 Jan 2003):

Gas Prices Rise Nearly 1.5 Cents a Gallon in 2 Weeks

Contributing to the price rise was the oil production strike in Venezuela; a fear of war against Iraq; the cold weather on the East Coast, which is prompting some refiners to produce more heating oil; and the use of a costlier gasoline additive in California, said analyst Trilby Lundberg, who is based in Camarillo.

California is phasing out the use of methyl tertiary butyl ether, or MTBE, an additive that is blamed for polluting drinking water. Some refineries are replacing it with ethanol, which is more expensive ...

From CBS News (12 Jun 2001):

The Bush administration said Tuesday that California must continue to use ethanol or other gasoline additives to protect air quality. The Environmental Protection Agency rejected state arguments that an additive isn't needed and will increase fuel costs.

... the oil industry and California air pollution control officials maintain that refiners can produce blends of gasoline without using an oxygenate and still meet the state's stringent air pollution requirements. William Rukeyser, a spokesman for the California Environmental Protection Agency, said state officials are convinced ethanol-free gasoline will not jeopardize air quality.

posted by Quiddity at 2/13/2003 10:19:00 AM