Sticker shock at California gas stations

(CBS News) MILL VALLEY, Calif. - Many Americans saw gas prices go up a bit this week. Californians saw them skyrocket. Nationally, the average stands at $3.81 a gallon, up roughly two cents. But in California, prices exploded to a record high average of $4.61 a gallon --that's up 47 cents in a week and makes it the most expensive gas in the country. This could only happen in California.

In the Golden State gas could be the new gold. The rush is on to fill up at a Los Angeles area station where the price is only $4.55 a gallon for regular. That looks reasonable to drivers who see many stations charging $5.00 a gallon.

"Ten dollars in gas doesn't even give me a quarter of a tank if I need to put in just ten dollars in gas," said one customer, "so it's really out of control"

• Gas prices continue to soar in California
• Gas prices squeeze California

While Triple-A reports the statewide average is a record high $4.61 a gallon ,it is well above that in many metropolitan areas, and at some stations far above that.

"I got gas yesterday at $4.69," said another customer, "and today I saw this at $5.69. I said, 'No I'm not gonna get it."

In San Francisco the average is $4.69 a gallon. The lack of buyers at station charging $5.09 shows drivers have their limits.

The fast-rising prices are linked to a string of supply disruptions, beginning with a huge fire at San Francisco-area Chevron refinery in August.

On Monday, a power failure shut down an Exxon Mobil refinery in Southern California. And a crude oil pipeline in the state is also out of service.

California pollution rules require a gasoline blend that isn't readily available from refineries outside the state..

Some experts say the steep rise could be over by early next week and prices could finally start coming back down. But until then, there is sticker shock at California gas stations.

[mecury69]

Speculators...it's that simple.

[panola64]

Tons of new Obama regulations and democrats won't allow any new California refineries for their required SPECIAL blend of gas.

[retmw1]

You mean the oil companies don't want to build anymore refineries in the U.S. anywhere. They don't need more refineries, they are refining more fuel then we use and are exporting refined fuel.

[alanrobisch]

facts are is the environmental rules in california makes it time consuming and difficult to build a refinery. In NJ before all the rules came in many refineries were built and we have the lowest cost of gas in the country,face it the obama adm is anti fossill fuel and is trying to deter use of them and for them higher costs is a way tho encourage other uses. Omnipotent government that controls our economy is Obama's goal

[Lerianis4]

by bmallen3 October 7, 2012 1:27 PM EDT
retmw1- Utter nonsense. The refineries are located in Port Arthur, Baytown and Texas City. It would be much cheaper to build the pipeline to the Mississippi river and export if that was the goal.
____________________

Not utter nonsense. The people who support the Keystone pipeline have already said that all the oil from there would be put on the world markets.

Frankly, only oil in excess of current U.S. needs should be put on the world markets. Only if and when we meet our own oil and natural gas needs should ANY of our natural resources go on the world markets.

[Tater-salad]

If I have the facts right, the high cost is because Kalifornia made up their own excessively restrictive air quality regulations and have to have their "own" refineries to deal with this higher standard.

Pelosi and the other Kalifornian liberal scum can be praised for this.

[Lerianis4]

********. Those standards in the fall and winter are dropped quite substantially. It's during the spring and summer that those restrictive air quality standards (which California is RIGHT to have) cause gas price increases.

No, a bigger issue is that all the small refineries were shut down over the past 30 years, thereby shrinking the ability of the nation to refine gasoline.

[Scimajor]

"You can thank Obama the EPA for this..."

" The EPA was proposed by President Richard Nixon and began operation on December 2, 1970" .... Nixon was a Republican.

It sure would be nice if Republicans would actually check their facts once in a while. Of course their candidate never does so why should they? Why not just make up random garbage instead?

Loving my Prius (45 to 50 mpg) by the way. This latest increase only raises my gas expenses by about $6 for every 350 miles driven. We don't driver our other vehicle much these days (Ford Expedition = 15 mpg).

[wmsshields]

Who cares when the agency was proposed? What kind of lib/progressive rebuttal is that? Social Security was under Roosevelt, and how is that working out? Medicare was Johnson, one of our biggest financial threats today. You see, 0b0z0 is in charge now, not Bush, nor Johnson, nor Roosevelt.
And it is 0b0z0 who is responsible for today's inflation, unemployment, poverty, debt, food stamp demand, deficit, gas prices.

[Lerianis4]

wmsshields, ********! Obama is not responsible for any of those things that you blame on him, they are all coming from the fallout of Bush's housing market and stock market crash, which are still reverberating throughout our economy.

[walkthetalk]

Mr.President we don't need no stinkin cars, we got us some Burros.

[crankyoleman]

How do you spell price gouging?

[Scimajor]

Exon.

[Scimajor]

Added:

E X O N or M O B I L E or O P E C

Any of those Spelling work.

[wmsshields]

"We agree there is great suffering when the price of gasoline increases in the United States," said Chu, Obama's energy secretary, "somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe."

Any questions why 0b0z0 killed the Keystone pipeline, and the resulting loss of oil supplies and thousands upon thousands of jobs?

[retmw1]

The keystone pipeline, that every bit of that oil gets exported. Why Port Aurthur Texas, because it's a free trade zone, so where do you think that oil will go.

[msimamaji]

I am not to surprised. We had an oil refinery fire, caused probably by aging equipment that the owners decided not to replace. I might add that California exports a chuck of its diesel and gasoline to other countries to help boost the price.

We need to develop alternatives to gasoline, like gasoline made from algae or other non-food sources. That's the only way to keep the price of gasoline down.

Also, I might add that we could lower the price of gasoline if urbanites garaged their cars and took public transportation. I try to limit my driving to one day a week and rely on LA metro to get around.

[Lerianis4]

With all due respect, a lot of urbanites don't want to take public transportation because it is unreliable. Only 4 buses in two hours so if you miss one, you are in deep trouble.
Add into the known crime on public transportation and you have another issue.

No, for most people even in urban areas, driving in their own car is the only option.

[Frosty43]

Welcome to Mexifornia--the next Detroit--only on a larger scale. How to solve all the problems: Elect more Democrats. Completely convert to Marxism. Bring in and support millions of illegals--especially the pregnant ones. That's a good start.

[omega39-2009]

Hee hee in Venezuela, with nationalized oil companies, the price of gas is 18 cents a gallon. What you have here is your vaunted "free markets" selling to the highest bidder to maintain obscene profits. Suck it up and enjoy!!!!

[Lerianis4]

ommega39-2009, you hit the nail on the head. Oil and gas production, as important as it is to a nation's economy, should be nationalized or SEVERELY regulated with gasoline being forbidden from being shipped out of the country.

It's time to take the United States oil off the world markets except for gasoline in excess of our own needs.