Gas prices in California are increasing at alarming rates becoming the highest prices in the entire U.S. If you or someone you know owns a gas-powered vehicle there is a good chance you have noticed that gas prices can cost up to $6-7 per gallon as opposed to the already pricey $4-5 per gallon Californians are used to. Government officials are talking about giving free public transit along with $400 in rebates as relief. 

The reason gas prices are skyrocketing so high includes the addition of extra ingredients in gasoline that clean the air inside the car to reduce pollution. This is only added in the state of California because of state laws. Another factor is the high gas tax in California: 85 cents per gallon. Lastly, the oil companies are transporting gas from Canada and Mexico, allowing them to charge anything they want without regulations, which is possibly the most problematic component. 

It is unknown when prices are expected to fall again but when oil refineries start to reach higher production rates the price will most likely dip. During the height of the pandemic, only a small fraction of people were driving, lowering demand, which in turn forced refineries to lower their production rates to compensate. Along with the increase in production, changes in large oil company regulations may control prices that large oil companies can unfairly impose. 

Luckily, for Californians struggling to deal with the new prices, the U.S. government is planning on sending $400 debit cards to alleviate the strain. Also, a new bill is being proposed that would tax large oil companies per barrel and return that money to consumers. This bill has not been passed yet. As it stands, Californians will have to put up with these insane prices for a while longer.