Fresno City Council calls on CA Air Resources Board to postpone vote that could raise gas prices

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Pain at the pump, for the price of cleaner air. Fresno drivers already pay over $1.50 more than the national average for a gallon of gas, according to AAA.

Local leaders are now warning prices could go up even more if the California Air Resources Board, or CARB, moves forward with new Low Carbon Fuel Standards set to be voted on Friday.

"CARB themselves have estimated these proposed changes to cost taxpayers and additional .47 cents per gallon. The Independent Emissions Advisory Council has projected gas could increase as much as .85 cents per gallon," said Fresno City Council President Annalisa Perea.

In a special meeting Thursday, the Fresno City Council voted unanimously to call on CARB to postpone their meeting until its clear just how much prices will go up.

"It's clear that this proposal has yet to be fully vetted, and there has been little to no transparency in my opinion regarding what the actual economic impact of these changes will look like to our constituency here in Fresno," said Perea.

Councilmembers say these new rules are coming at the worst time for struggling families.

"If Tuesday's election results make it crystal clear, one thing is that we need to do more to focus on the economic impact of our policies for working families," said Fresno City Council Vice President Mike Karbassi.

California is a leader in lowering emissions and CARB is responsible for finding ways to meet air quality targets.

They claim their proposal lowers the cost of driving overall by giving more fuel options to Californians, but when it comes to gas, they say they can't predict exact cost increases. One of the reasons being because oil producers decide how much they choose to pass down compliance costs to consumers.

CARB's Executive Officer had this to say to our sister station in Sacramento last week.

"If the LCFS passes next week, will gas prices gas costs rise? And my response was no, I don't expect them to," said Dr. Steven Cliff with the California Air Resources Board.

But in a statement to Action News, CARB says fuel producers are self-reporting gas could go up .08 to .10 cents a gallon.

Some clean energy and transportation experts who provide feedback to CARB say this move will ultimately have a positive impact on the state as a whole.

"Californians are expected to save almost $5 billion in healthcare costs if we mitigate the impacts of air pollution," said Munni Krishna, Gage Zero Director of Policy and Incentives.

Krishna tells Action News says this proposition affects more than just gas prices but helps reduce emissions by putting cleaner trucks on the road and adding charging stations in disadvantaged communities.

"It's going to be one of the most critical tools that we have in our pocket here in California to accelerate the transition to freight electrification," said Krishna.