California Lawmakers, Regulators Clash Over Refinery Closures, High Gas Prices

A tense committee hearing prompts officials from both sides of the aisle to call for the resignation of the California Air Resources Board chair.

A man pumps gas at a filling station in Alhambra, Calif., on Oct. 2, 2023. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

State lawmakers criticized California’s environmental and energy agency directors during a legislative hearing on May 28, with some saying oil industry regulations imposed by the agencies are causing refineries to close and gas prices to rise.

“We have a crisis on our hands that may have been self-created by the actions that perhaps have been taken by the state—by regulators,” Democratic Assemblyman David Alvarez of San Diego said during the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee hearing. “And I think it’s important that we take the time today to understand what those are.”