Calif. may tweak program that’s pushing up gas prices
By David R. Baker, San Francisco Chronicle
Even as drivers debate repealing California’s recent gasoline tax hike, an often-overlooked state program has quietly helped push fuel prices higher.
Dubbed the low carbon fuel standard, the program is designed to fight climate change by forcing oil companies to lower the “carbon intensity” of the fuels they sell in California.
For years, it had little effect on gasoline prices, tacking on an estimated 3 or 4 cents per gallon.