Gas prices in Los Angeles hit a new record, becoming the first major U.S. city to reach an average of $6 per regular gallon of gasoline, according to gas price tracker GasBuddy.
Prices in California are the highest in the United States and have greatly surpassed the national average, even though the average price nationwide has fallen since earlier this month, according to automotive group AAA.
Some California lawmakers proposed a $400 rebate for every taxpayer in California to offset the elevated prices.
“This proposed $400 rebate would cover the current 51 cents-per-gallon gas tax for one full year, 52 trips to the pump for most vehicles,” state lawmakers wrote to Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. “Notably, we believe a rebate is a better approach than suspending the gas tax ... which would severely impact funding for important transportation projects and offers no guarantee that oil companies would pass on the savings to consumers.”
Other states with above-average prices include Alaska with $4.70 per gallon, Washington state with $4.72 per gallon, Oregon with $4.708 per gallon, Illinois with $4.501 per gallon, and New York state with $4.36 per gallon, the data shows.
Missouri saw the lowest prices in the United States, averaging $3.76 per gallon, according to AAA.
“We saw the pain at the pump with the rapidly rising prices that everybody across the country was seeing, and we decided we wanted to take some urgent immediate action,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, told CNBC on Tuesday.
Democrats and the Biden administration have been quick to blame the surge in prices on the Russia–Ukraine conflict and on petroleum corporations. However, Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the Tax Foundation, told the news outlet that prices had already gone up $1.30 per gallon on average for the 16 months before the conflict because of record-setting inflation.
