FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today, Public Watchdogs is calling on California’s top cop, Attorney General Rob Bonta, to investigate California oil refineries for price gouging. Get the letter here.
San Diego, home of the nation’s highest electric rates, just saw gasoline prices blast up by a more than a dollar in the last 28 days (see chart below). According to the Oil Price Information Service’s GasBuddy fuel price tracker prices have increased by $1.03 since February 9.
In response to the completely unnecessary surge in fuel prices, the public advocacy group Public Watchdogs has called on California’s Attorney General to intervene with an investigation into price gouging by California refineries.
According to Charles Langley, the executive director of Public Watchdogs “In 26 years of tracking California gas prices, I have never seen a one-month price hike of this magnitude without huge disruptions in supply. According to Langley, “Oil supply disruptions to the West Coast are negligible. We simply don’t get oil from Russia or the Ukraine.”
Langley notes that it can take 60 to 90 days to get oil from Russia or the Middle East into U.S. East Coast ports. “This is nothing more than opportunistic price gouging caused by a complete lack of competition,” says Langley.
To arrange an interview, contact Charles Langley at (619) 439-6627, or mobile at (858) 752-4600, or via email at “Langley @ publicwatchdogs.org”
Get the letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta here.
Get our March 8, 2022 rebuttal of the oil industry’s ludicrous excuses here.