Attorney General Lockyer Issues Statement on Gas Pricing Legislation

(SACRAMENTO) – Attorney General Bill Lockyer today issued the following statement on gas pricing legislation unveiled by Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Christine Kehoe and Senator Bill Morrow:

"In our May 2000 task force report on gasoline pricing in California, my office identified a number of market conditions that left this state's consumers particularly vulnerable to price spikes. Today, as we suffer renewed pain at the pump, those conditions persist.

"One of the primary problems identified by the task force was lack of competition in the marketplace. We found that the same six six refiners who controlled 92 percent of the state's refining capacity also supplied 85 percent of state's gas under contracts that restricted retailers' ability to get the best price.

"AB 146 and SB 304 attempt to inject more choice and competition into California's market. I support those objectives. I look forward to working with Assemblywoman Kehoe, Senator Morrow, other lawmakers, the Governor and interested parties to craft long-term solutions that enable California to protect its consumers from disparate harm at the pump."