Press Release
Santa Monica, CA — Chevron today reported its highest U.S. refining profits for the first nine months of the year—a whopping $2.6 billion as compared to $1.7 billion for the same period last year. Since 54 percent of the company’s refining takes place in California, California drivers paid the price, Consumer Watchdog said today.
Press Release
Refiners Remain Silent Because Law Does Not Require them to Disclose Information
Santa Monica, CA—The price of a gallon of regular gas in California spiked up another 40 cents this week and now stands at $3.59 a gallon at the pump due to fresh problems refineries have tried to conceal, Consumer Watchdog said today. Californians are now paying exactly a dollar more than the US average.
Press Release
Santa Monica, CA – Consumer Watchdog today said that a price spike of 28 cents per gallon at the pump over the last week was likely caused by a refinery outage or other refinery problems that the public is not privy to, and called on the California Senate to act.
Press Release
Santa Monica, CA — Business leader, philanthropist and climate activist Tom Steyer and Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court asked California lawmakers to subpoena oil industry executives to explain why California’s gasoline market is structured for shortages and volatility. The executives declined to testify at a March 24 hearing before a joint Senate Committee hearing into February’s dollar-a-gallon price spike at the pump.
Press Release
Santa Monica, CA — Consumer Watchdog today asked Governor Jerry Brown and top lawmakers to defund the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) or reform it from top to bottom, in the wake of the US Attorney’s criminal investigation and closure of Exide Technologies.
Press Release
Santa Monica, CA —Exxon misrepresented its safety record at its Torrance refinery to lawmakers at a public hearing at Torrance City Hall last week, suggesting its February 18 explosion and fire was unique, and did not acknowledge how extensively the blast damaged its ability to supply gasoline, Consumer Watchdog said today.
Press Release
Consumer Watchdog Calls For Increased Oil Reserves
Santa Monica, CA – Consumer Watchdog today reiterated calls for an increase in the state’s oil reserves as Los Angeles gas prices jumped $1.03 cents in the last month, the highest in the state, according to AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report website. Los Angeles prices at the pump for regular gas have reached $3.53 per gallon, a dollar and nine cents, or 45% higher than the national average of $2.44 per gallon.
Press Release
Santa Monica, CA — Consumer Watchdog said today that prices per regular gallon of gas in California were up an unprecedented 96 cents in the last month, nearly triple the 38-cent increase per gallon nationwide.
Press Release
California Gas Prices Up 70 Cents a Gallon at Pump Since February 1
Santa Monica, CA — Consumer Watchdog said it looked forward to working with Senate lawmakers who today set hearings for March on possible refinery price manipulation, as the group had requested.
Press Release
Santa Monica, CA—California refinery shutdowns and slowdowns are boosting refinery profit margins by as much as 72 percent, according to a key indicator called “crack spreads,” Consumer Watchdog said today.
Press Release
Santa Monica, CA – Consumer Watchdog said today that the retail price per gallon of gas in California has soared 53 cents between February 2, when Tesoro began shutting down its refinery in Martinez, through today. A regular gallon of California gasoline now costs an average of $2.96 a gallon.
Press Release
Santa Monica, CA — Consumer Watchdog said today that the spot price of gas leapt a dime overnight, as the group had predicted in the wake of two refinery shutdowns affecting 16 percent of the state’s refining capacity.
Smoking Gun
Today’s explosion at the Torrance refinery couldn’t come at a better time—for refiners interested in driving up the price of gas.
That’s why we are calling for the California Attorney General, Governor, and lawmakers to step in. We want the Attorney General to send in some boots on the ground to rule out any price manipulation by Tesoro when it shut down its Martinez refinery. We also want to know what first caused Exxon to tell one observer that its Torrance refinery would be offline for two weeks due to a mechanical problem, and then what caused an explosion at the refinery today.
