Asm. Jasmeet Bains (D–Delano) is calling for the head of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to resign.
Bains joins Republicans calling for CARB Chair Liane Randolph’s resignation days after Randolph admitted that the board does not assess how its regulations impact drivers.
Driving the news: Randolph testified in front of the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee on Wednesday, along with executives from the California Energy Commission and Division of Petroleum Market Oversight.
- Lawmakers asked Randolph about the new Low Carbon Fuel Standard program approved by the CARB, which could increase gas prices by $0.47 per gallon.
- Randolph admitted to lawmakers that the CARB does not consider how its regulations will raise gas prices for California drivers.
- “We don’t analyze a retail cost,” Randolph said during the hearing, later adding that the CARB’s analysis “does not identify specific costs to specific consumers, partly because there is a lot of variables involved in that.”
State of play: Recent data from the American Automobile Association shows that California has the highest average gas prices in the nation by a wide margin at $4.803 per gallon, far ahead of Hawaii at $4.480.
- The national average is $3.162 per gallon.
What she’s saying: “CARB has been given so much power they were prepared to ban gas and diesel cars and trucks singlehandedly,” Bains said. “It is outrageous the director would pursue such policies without even trying to analyze the impact on prices.”
- Bains said the CARB needs a leader who understands that Californians are struggling to make ends meet.
- “When we make people poorer, we make people less healthy,” Bains said. “CARB cannot continue to treat working families that cannot afford to pay $8 for a gallon of gas as an inconvenience.”
The other side: “What’s outrageous is the Assemblymember’s stunt as she gears up to run for Congress,” said Newsom spokesman Daniel Villasenor. “Chair Randolph’s record leading California’s clean air progress speaks for itself — especially as Assemblymember Bains joins Trump in carrying water for big polluters. CARB follows requirements set by the Legislature to evaluate economic impacts.”
