45 Public Interest Groups Point To CA Price Gouging, Demand CEC Write Overdue Regulations To Address CA's Pain At Pump, Says Consumer Watchdog
LOS ANGELES, April 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 45 environmental and public interest groups are demanding that Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Energy Commission immediately implement long-overdue rules to protect consumers from painful run-ups of gas prices at the pump.
The groups pointed to the skyrocketing California gross refining margins, how the industry measures profits per gallon, from 49 cents per gallon in January to an estimated more than $1.50 per gallon in March.
"This is exactly the type of profiteering that SBx1-2 and ABx2-1, the two special reforms that passed in 2023 and 2024, were supposed to rein in," the groups wrote. "Unfortunately, the California Energy Commission has not written regulations to address resupply arrangements, minimum inventories or a price gouging penalty.
"We call on the California Energy Commission to write and implement emergency regulations in all three areas immediately. Californians deserve the protections they were promised."
Emergency regulations can be promulgated in 30 days.
The public interest groups sending the letter include:
350 Bay Area Action, 350 Santa Barbara, 350 South Bay Los Angeles, 350 Southland Legislative Alliance, Amazon Watch, APEN Action, Bay Area-System Change not Climate Change, Biofuelwatch, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Community, Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ), CERBAT, Change Begins With ME, Indivisible, Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG), Climate Hawks Vote, Climate, Reality Project San Diego, Communities for a Better Environment, Elders Climate Action (ECA) Northern California (NorCal) Chapter, Elders Climate Action (ECA), Southern California (SoCal) Chapter, Fossil Free California, FracTracker Alliance, Good Neighbor Steering Committee of Benicia, Indivisible Marin, Indivisible Ventura, Long Beach Alliance for Clean Energy, Long Beach Gray Panthers, Nevada County, Climate Action Now, Oil and Gas Action Network, RootsAction, Sacramento Climate Coalition, San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility, SanDiego350, Santa Cruz Climate Action Network, SoCal 350 Climate Action, Sunflower Alliance, Sustainable Mill Valley, The Climate Alliance, The Climate Center, The Local Clean, Energy Alliance, Transition Sebastopol, United States Campaign Manager, & West Berkeley Alliance for Clean Air and Safe Jobs.
SOURCE Consumer Watchdog
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