Below is a statement from Fed Up at the Pump in response to Friday’s letter from Senate pro Tem Darrell Steinberg to Assembly Member Henry Perea denying AB 69 a legislative hearing. The bill would provide for a three-year delay to California Air Resources Board’s (CARB’s) Fuels Under the Cap regulations within the Cap and Trade program.

STATEMENT FROM JAY MCKEEMAN, FED UP AT THE PUMP MEMBER, V.P., CIOMA

“Fed Up at the Pump is disappointed that a small percentage of our state’s legislators took a pass on one of the most important issues facing California’s hardworking families. By denying an open, public discussion of the need for a delay in the implementation of CARB’s hidden gas tax, the Legislature missed an opportunity to educate motorists about the upcoming hit to their wallets.

We must not balance our carbon emission reductions on the backs of our state’s most-vulnerable – the neighborhoods struggling to recover from the Great Recession where disadvantaged and fragile residents have limited disposable income, as well as farmers, small businesses and the transportation sector employers. All of these groups, and more, continue to deal with the nation’s highest unemployment rates and the consequences of the state’s current drought and slow economic recovery.”

About Fed Up at the Pump

Fed Up at the Pump is a grassroots coalition of businesses, consumers and advocates who are concerned about the negative impacts that a hidden, unfair gas tax will have on California. The coalition’s goal is to halt a state-mandated gas tax – created by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) “Fuels Under the Cap” regulations – before it goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2015. This gas tax will disproportionately affect lower-income Californians and there is no guarantee money generated will go to programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The coalition is spearheaded by members of the California Independent Oil Marketers Association (CIOMA), a group of independent fuel conveyers in California. CIOMA members provide a strong backbone to the state’s economy but are often blamed for oil industry gas price hikes. The coalition aims to educate consumers about the source of the gas price increase they will experience in January, 2015, a campaign CIOMA believes that CARB should be conducting so Californians can plan for the upcoming gas tax, especially low income workers in the Central Valley. More information can be found at www.fedupatthepump.org.