He's aiming to run and protect the critical waterway while charging a 20% fee to eligible imports.
The impacts are already being felt across the Central Valley, as gas station owners have seen gas prices spike over the last two weeks.
"The prices have gone up, 10c a day, 15c, today it's going up 9c. It adds up, ten cents here, ten cents there, by the end of the week it's already up 40 to 50 cents higher," says Yakoob Mohamed, who owns Jack's Gas.
Mohamed has also been feeling the hit, as he is now paying double the fuel tax.
Plus, the store has also seen a loss in sales, as people have less extra cash to spend on snacks.
He shares, "Honestly, it is very stressful when things are happening like this to our nation. I hope this gets fixed because it's not the people's fault having to pay top dollar for gas prices just to go around or go to work or go places."
One customer, Ricardo Trejo, is a distributor for Chef Merito, a seasonings company.
The company has about 50 drivers who each travel dozens of miles daily.
The rise in fuel cost is impacting the business, employee commission and overall sales.
"Sales have been dropping a lot; in the last two weeks, they have been low. I went out this morning and sales were very low," explains Trejo.
Meanwhile, summer travel looks different for Californians.
Many have chosen to stay nearby or be selective with trips to save money.
"We don't want to be out on the road as much anymore, so we just try to stay home more.. So we are hoping it goes down; it just makes it easier," says Marlene Rodriguez, who is traveling within the state.
According to Gas Buddy, if gas prices continue to rise, average fall and winter fuel costs may be higher this year.
Jack's Gas hopes to help the community with a free backpack and school supplies giveaway at its Cutler-Orosi location in a few weeks.
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