Chevron exec admits hes worried about California as oil giant-aligned group decries sky-high gas prices
They’re stepping on the gas.A Chevron bigwig burned California’s energy policies last week as the state’s nation-leading gas prices soared well above $4 a gallon amid a wave of oil refinery shutdowns.Andy Walz, the oil giant’s global refining president, told Fox Business last week he’s “quite worried” about the Golden State’s direction.“You have to have a different environment, we have to be welcomed, we have to have incentives to invest, we have to have some regulation go away, we need to be able to permit something in less than two or three years,” he groused.“It is a very difficult place to do business.”The oily gripes dovetail with a campaign targeting Californian motorists at Chevron pumps — and encouraging them to join demands to roll back the state’s green energy policies.Gas stations such as a Chevron location in Agoura Hills off Chesebro Road feature signs declaring, “California has the highest taxes and fees in America,” and urging motorists to take action.The signs include a QR code that directs to a website for the Chevron Advocacy Network, a group billing itself as a voice for Californians who support “smart, balanced policies that protect jobs, promote energy innovation, and ensure a sustainable energy future.”The site — which includes a copyright for the Chevron Corporation — maintains the group’s members are not lobbyists.The group didn’t respond to a request for comment.
A Chevron spokesman argued consumers have the right to understand the cause of high energy prices in California, tying them to refinery closures because of strict state policies.“Chevron believes fuel price volatility California consumers experience today is a direct result of more than 20 years of state regulations that have constrained supply by discouraging investment in refining and associated infrastructure, as well as increased taxes,” the spokesman said in a statement.California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTub...