The proposal, which was harshly criticized by lawmakers for the board’s lack of transparency regarding its cost to consumers and by environmental groups for not doing enough to reduce air pollution, was approved by the California Air Resources Board on Friday night. The new clean air standards are expected to increase gas prices.
The board voted 12–2 in support of the revisions, with the exception of Dean Florez and Diane Takvorian.
A 12-hour discussion on revisions to CARB’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard came to an end with the vote. In order to accomplish the state’s objectives of drastically reducing its consumption of gas and oil by 2030—a date established by state law—the LCFS is a big, intricate initiative.
A 30% reduction in transportation emissions is the goal of the LCFS revisions. Although board staff has admitted that the costs will likely be passed on to the gas pump, the strategy will increase the costs for oil refiners.
Although CARB first predicted that costs would increase to 47 cents a gallon in 2025, the agency declined to offer an estimate before to Friday’s decision.
The board was under pressure from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers to be more open about the effects of gas prices. After passing a proposal to establish new regulations for oil refiners, which they said would save consumers money at the gas pump, Governor Newsom and state lawmakers concluded a special legislative session, raising more questions.
“This policy is key to the electric vehicle transition that we need,” board member Susan Shaheen stated. “As we move forward there is still a lot of urgency but a lot of uncertainty which is why the guard rails and monitoring is so important.”
On Friday evening, CARB board member Hector De La Torre attributed some of the program’s scrutiny to the oil sector. He said, “They’re pointing the finger at us,” in reference to the price of gas. “And that the media and some electeds followed this is too bad.”
🧵California’s @AirResources is voting on updates to clean air standards that are expected to raise gas prices. It has faced criticism for its lack of transparency about how this will impact overwhelming majority of CA drivers.
Watch meeting here: https://t.co/CAPQpMM4Yt
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) November 8, 2024
Every six months, board member Eric Guerra requested that the board monitor retail gas prices using the recently implemented LCFS guidelines. “Transportation costs really impact families,” he stated.
The idea is extensive and affects markets like agriculture in addition to oil and gas industries. As the state shifts away from oil and gas and toward electrifying its transportation system, the program helps producers of electric vehicles and biofuels.
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Concerns over the potential for food shortages and deforestation as a result of the growing usage of biofuel were also voiced by environmental justice organizations. On Friday, board members stated that they wanted to make sure CARB would review the proposal and make any necessary adjustments if it had those adverse effects.
As California moves away from its reliance on petroleum and oil and toward a more electrified transportation system, others commended it for finding the ideal balance.
