California regulations designed to fight global warming could force half of the state’s refineries to close, trigger fuel shortages and add $2.70 per gallon to the cost of gasoline, according to a study released Tuesday by an oil industry lobbying group.
The study, issued by the Western States Petroleum Association, argues that California’s upcoming cap-and-trade system to cut carbon dioxide emissions could wreak havoc with fuel supplies as early as 2015. So could the state’s low carbon fuel standard, a policy requiring refiners to lower the carbon intensity of the fuel they sell in California.
Oil companies have a history of resisting California’s climate change rules. But Catherine Reheis-Boyd, president of the petroleum association, said Tuesday that her group isn’t trying to overturn the state’s global warming law, known as AB32.
Instead, the association wants to change how the state implements the law. If gasoline prices jump due to the fuel standard and cap and trade, she warned, Californians would probably demand that the entire law be scrapped.
“People could revolt, and if that happens, that’s the end of it,” Reheis-Boyd said. “If this goes the way we think it will, you won’t have a program in 2015.”
California is over-ripe for a consumer revolt.
No revolt pending. People inclined to revolt are just leaving California. Nothing will change until utter collapse. Like Greece.
With no measurable benefit, it’s about money for the state to spend without any pension reform for state employees.
A few years back Montana tried the same thing. Exxon and the other Billings refineries said “fine we’ll just close our refineries and move out.” Suddenly the “emissions threat” was not so important, the state backed down and the refineries are still there.
California being what it is, I suspect they will go through with this as planned. When things go utterly bad, then they’ll try to blame everyone but themselves.
The liberals in CA don’t want any exploration/production, refineries, pipelines or terminals. They have the same mentality they had in the 70s. So let them freeze in the dark.