SACRAMENTO, California — Gov. Gavin Newsom accused Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo this weekend of repeating Big Oil talking points in their recent letter raising concerns that a California refinery proposal could raise gasoline prices in their states.
The accusation was in response to Hobbs, a fellow Democrat, and Lombardo, a Republican, urging Newsom on Monday not to rush to pass a proposal that would give California authority to require refiners to store more gas. The plan aims to prevent price spikes. The governors said the proposal risked raising prices and creating shortages at gas stations in their states, which receive large portions of fuel from California refineries.
Newsom’s reply, sent Friday night and provided to POLITICO on Sunday in response to a request, said the letter from Hobbs and Lombardo reflected “the oil industry’s talking points rather than the facts.”
Newsom’s letter reflects the tricky politics of oil and gas, which became more difficult after Hobbs joined Lombardo in criticizing California’s efforts to regulate the industry.
