Last September, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the Golden State would become the first in the Union to ban the sale of gasoline fueled vehicles by 2035.
Not to be outdone, the city council in Petaluma, California became the first city in the country to ban the construction of new gas stations. The ban, which took effect immediately, also includes adding additional new pumps at existing gas stations or the construction of any new stations.
The city council’s goal is to become “carbon neutral” by 2030 – a much more aggressive goal than the governor’s.
What does all of this mean for the 60,000 residents of Petaluma, a city in Northern California? In the near term, they will have to drive further to fill up their gas tanks. And when they do, they will be paying $.20 more per gallon for starters.
“According to the American Petroleum Institute, Californians now pay 80.45 cents per gallon in total federal and state gasoline taxes (including federal and state excise taxes)” and a gallon of gasoline currently costs consumers $3.84 per gallon, (compared to $2.873, the average price per gallon in the U.S. today) giving California the dubious distinction of having the highest priced per gallon gasoline in the nation.
Let’s hope that a majority of those Petaluma residents are in line to receive a $1,400 stimulus check. They will need it just to cover the increased costs of fuel in California over the next 12 months.
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