California Wants To Fight Global Warming By Banning New Gas Stations

There is a saying that goes something like, “as California goes, so goes the rest of the nation.” Hopefully, the latest trend to come from the left coast will not spread across the country.

California is a state with some of the highest gas prices in the nation, currently hovering around $5.99 a gallon. But as high as gas prices are in the Golden State, they are much more concerned with halting climate change.

So the city of Petaluma, a city of roughly 60,000 people in the Bay Area, believed they had found a way to do just that. In a move that could really only come from California, in 2021, the city voted to prohibit the building of new gas stations.

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The Wave Of The Future?

Since Petaluma’s move to ban gas stations, four other cities in the Bay Area have followed their lead.

Now, the movement is even spreading to LA – the second-biggest city in the country, and a city notoriously sprawled that requires a car to get around.

Andy Schrader is the director of environmental affairs for LA City Councilman Paul Koretz. He says,

“It’s really up to cities to turn around climate change. L.A.’s enormous and damaging ecological footprint really helped set us on this path. If you have lung cancer, you stop smoking; if your planet’s on fire, you stop pouring gasoline on it.”

Councilman Koretz himself commented on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “bold” plan to end the sale of gas-burning cars in California by 2035.

He stated, “Given Gov. Newsom’s timeline to end the sale of gas vehicles by 2035, gas stations are a dying business. Their toxic chemicals take years and millions of dollars to clean up.” No word on whether gas station owners have been informed their business is a dying one.

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Mixed Reviews

Many Californians are on board with the idea. A few said they were planning on buying hybrid or electric vehicles, although the hefty price tag on those vehicles was cited by one resident. 

Another resident stated, “I’m concerned about the ozone layer for the future of my kids. It’s definitely going to affect the younger generation.” But not all are seeing the benefits of such a ban.

But these residents who are for gas station bans may soon be the only ones left to foot the climate change bills. People are leaving California in droves, and not just for reasons like this. In 2020, roughly 650,000 people left California for a lower cost of living in other states.

Median home prices is a big reason. According to Zillow, in February, the median home price in California was nearly $700,000, compared to Texas at a little over $200,000.

High gas, utility bills, and taxes are other reasons cited for packing up and leaving. There is also the issues of crime and outrageous amounts of homelessness also figuring into many residents’ decision to leave.

So many people have left that, for the first time in its history, California will lose a House seat when the new Congress convenes in January. 

Only in California.