SACRAMENTO, California — Gov. Gavin Newsom has blamed Big Oil’s greed for the state’s highest-in-the-nation gasoline prices for two years. The year ahead could make his case or break it.
His administration is set to decide whether to impose aggressive, untested new rules on oil refiners that are meant to curb gas prices, but oil companies say they’ll do the opposite.
Newsom, who is termed out in 2026 but could run for president in 2028, isn’t changing his tone on oil.
“The governor is focused on affordability at the pump by holding oil companies accountable for their profit spikes that have cost consumers billions of dollars,” spokesperson Daniel Villasenor said in a statement. “We’re not turning back from a clean energy future and requiring transparency from the oil industry.”
