California Seeking to Fine Companies Over Gasoline Price Gouging

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Despite the perpetual ebb and flow of fuel prices across the United States, you can reliably count on California having some of the highest per-gallon costs in the nation. While that’s not entirely the fault of energy companies – California’s high tax rate on just about everything is a major factor here – oil firms are indeed raking in unprecedented profits right now and the government would much rather you focus on that than any role it might have likewise played. To that effect, Governor Gavin Newsom has announced new financial penalties for corporations accused of price-gouging wherever fueling is concerned.


On Monday, it was announced that the California Legislature would be assembling in a special session to go over a plan designed by Democratic Senator Nancy Skinner seeking to impose new fines on oil companies leadership believes are guilty of accumulating “excess profits.”


“California’s price gouging penalty is simple – either Big Oil reins in the profits and prices, or they’ll pay a penalty,” said Governor Newsom. “Big Oil has been lying and gouging Californians to line their own pockets long enough. I look forward to the work ahead with our partners in the Legislature to get this done.”


The proposal ( available here as a pdf) hopes to establish a framework for the California Legislature to determine exactly what constitutes excess profits and then tie them to civil penalties from the California Energy Commission. The collected money would then be put into the newly created “Price Gouging Penalty Fund,” which will be returned as refunds to citizens of the state and managed by the Treasury Department. However, the plan stipulates that funding be appropriated by the State Legislature beforehand.


Truth be told, it’s still a little unclear how California plans on implementing the plan ahead of the aforementioned special session. Though the announcement suggests capping refiner margins based on the per-barrel pricing of oil. It also said leadership would be considering efforts to “empower state agencies to more closely review gas costs, profits and pricing as well provide the state with greater regulatory oversight of the refining, distribution and retailing segments of the gasoline market in California.”


But to sell the concept to residents, the government has to make a case against the oil companies – something that ended up being a major component of the related press release. The Governor's Office noted that oil companies reported record-high profits between July and September of 2022.


Numerous examples were provided for that particular quarter: Phillips 66 profits leaped to $5.4 billion, a 1,243-percent increase over the $402 million seen in 2021; BP posted $8.2 billion in profits, its second-highest on record, with $2.5 billion going toward share buybacks that benefit Wall Street investors; Marathon Petroleum profits rose to $4.48 billion, a 545- percent increase over last year’s $694 million; Valero’s $2.82 billion in profits that were 500-percent higher than the year before; PBF Energy’s $1.06 billion that was 1,700-percent higher than the year before; Shell reported a $9.45 billion haul that sent $4 billion to shareholders for stock buybacks; Exxon reported their highest-ever $19.7 billion in profits; AND Chevron reported $11.2 billion in profits, their second-highest quarterly profit ever.


“Putting the Governor’s proposal in print allows the Legislature and the public to begin discussions on this important issue. No one can deny that California’s gas prices were outrageously high compared to other states. And those high prices hurt California consumers and businesses,” said Senator Skinner.


This one is a toughie because it's inarguable that fuel prices in California tend to be a dollar or more per gallon than whatever the national average happens to be. But that's largely down to state policy, rather than the nationwide gouging that energy companies are currently engaged in. The proposed solution seems to give California a lot of leverage over the market and how good or bad that seems probably has a lot to do with how much you trust the State Legislature.


[Image: iofoto/Shutterstock]

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Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Tassos Tassos on Dec 07, 2022

    "The average American is pretty stupid. And 50% of all Americans are even DUMBER THAN THAT". This, paraphrased, was said by the Great Mark Twain. FOr those of you sticklers about Statistics, the 100% correct version should replace "average' with "MEDIAN" (the 50-50 point).


    I am reminded of Twain's saying every time I hear the CLOWNS in Congress, or in this case this LAME IDIOT in CA, Newsom, accuse oil cos or gas stations of price gouging.


    There are 100,000s of gas stations in the US. WHY THE HELL WOULD an allegedly not moronic consumer go buy the ones that charge $0.50/gal more, when she can drive 5 miles and find the cheapest one around (very easy with today;s phones or laptops/tablets).


    In an efficient market, the gas stations chrging 50 cents more would have NO CUSTOMERS while the lowest-priced ones would have lines a mile long.


    Senile idiot Joe Biden's shameless ABUSE OF the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (which SHOULD ONLY BE USED IN EMERGENCIES, NOT IF HE WORRIES THE REPS WILL WIN BACK THE HOUSE!) shows that he is also a SCUMBAG.


    At least Jimmy Carter was not only MUCH smarter than idiot Joe Biden, despite the fact he did poorly as president, he was our most DECENT EX PRESIDENT. BTW, Carter's family was wealthy and became much poorer after he left the WH, because he forgave debts to him, probably because of his sincere (And NOT BS) CHristian faith. WHILE Idiot Joe Biden, whose net worth was next to ZERO, became VP basically barefoot, he became a multimillionaire giving Lame speeches after he left office (and probably while he was in office) for an arm and a leg per speech. Wby would they give him so much $ for nothing? OBVIOUSLY< FOR ACCESS to the President so he would do their dirty favors.



  • Tassos Tassos on Dec 07, 2022

    Newsom should have gone in the private sector and worked as a male model for the JC Penney catalog, modeling jackets. I think he would do ok there, very unlike his dismal performance as a failed governor of a failed state.

    • See 1 previous
    • Tassos Tassos on Dec 08, 2022

      Wanted to respond to Jeff S but there was no reply link to his comment. Many Department store chains were doing poorly a long time ago, some already went bankrupt, inc, some I was a very happy customer of (Mervyn's of CA had a store near my place, and I regretted not buying multiple copies of the items I liked from them, before they went bankrupt). Their problems will get worse this year and esp in 2023, when most economists expect a Recession, with a 2/3rds chance of it being a BAD one (not a 'soft landing") It is rather obvious, when groceries and gas are thru the roof, people will cut expenses where they can, in clothes above all, they will keep wearing what they have for two more years, so they can eat and commute.


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