Californians suffer at the gas pump more than most Americans, with an average of $4.50 per gallon and about one dollar more than drivers elsewhere. Governor Gavin Newsom has long blamed the greed of Big Oil, but the real cause is the combination of high taxes and overregulation enacted by state lawmakers.

Golden State residents face the highest gasoline tax in the nation, nearly 90 cents per gallon – comprised of a 61 cent state gasoline excise tax, the highest across U.S. states; a 10 cent state and local sales tax, creating double taxation; and an 18 cent federal gasoline excise tax applied across the country.

The state’s climate programs add another 38 cents per gallon. California’s cap-and-trade program places a price on greenhouse gas emissions that the oil and gas industry incur, a

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