CA Fuel Standard pushes gas prices to $6.38 per gallon. Is MN next?

The California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is helping to push Golden State gas prices up to $6.38 per gallon, according to averages compiled by AAA. Some counties, such as Alpine County, are paying over $7.75 per gallon.

Unfortunately, Governor Tim Walz and other liberal policymakers are seeking to enact these exact same regulations in Minnesota, which will cause entirely unnecessary gas station inflation.

There are many reasons why gas prices in California are so high, but much of the cost is due to choices made by state policymakers to enact a series of taxes and government regulations.

According to a report by the California Globe, these taxes added an additional $1.30 per gallon. While fees like the gas tax help pay for roads and bridges, the LCFS is responsible for raising gas prices by 22 cents per gallon, which constitutes 17 percent of the taxes and fees levied on gasoline in California.

In Minnesota, the Walz administration is calling these regulations the “Clean Fuel Standard” (CFS), but despite having a slightly different name, the results will be the same and potentially worse.

Recent research from Stillwater Associates, a consulting firm, estimates the CFS would increase gasoline prices by 20 cents per gallon in the near term and 54 cents per gallon by 2035.

However, the most recent version of the CFS in Minnesota was changed to be even more onerous and expensive than California’s regulations. The legislation introduced by Rep. Lippart would increase the cost of this program by as much as 67 cents per gallon by 2030 and $2 per gallon by 2040.

This means that by 2040, the average Minnesota family using 1,053 gallons of gas would pay an additional $1,137 to $2,127 per year under the California fuel standards. These numbers are so large that it is difficult to believe anyone could possibly propose such a policy, but the math doesn’t lie.

The CFS, especially in its most current form, would be all pain and no gain because none of the additional money paid by Minnesota families and businesses would go to maintain our roads and bridges. Furthermore, the reduction in future temperatures resulting from lowering greenhouse gas emissions would be too small to measure.

You can tell Governor Walz to abandon his plan to cause more pain at the pump by signing our petition by clicking the button below.