New Consumer Alert Exposes Deceptive Oil Industry Attack On Governor Newsom

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer Watchdog released a new Consumer Alert video exposing another deceptive oil industry tv ad attacking on Governor Newsom's energy policies called "Make Matters Worse."

Watch the alert.

"This phony ad claims to be from a group called Californians for Energy Independence," said Consumer Watchdog president Jamie Court. "The group is really funded with $3 million from Chevron. Why is Chevron angry at Governor Newsom? He is implementing the nation's first price gouging penalty to protect Californians against excessive gasoline prices."

The alert exposes Chevron's outrageous profits in 2023.

"Chevron made a killing off outrageously high gasoline prices in California last year," said Court. "Chevron's recent investor report showed it made 73 cents per gallon in profits in the West in 2023, 25 cents more than its profits per gallon on the Gulf Coast. That made Chevron a profit of $21 billion last year, its second most profitable year in a decade. Governor Newsom's price gouging penalty will limit how much refiners like Chevron can make per gallon on gasoline."

"And Chevron doesn't like the law Governor Newsom signed to prevent oil drillers from drilling too close to homes and communities," Court continued. "Two in ten Chevron wells are within 3200 feet of a community, spewing toxins that poison people. The wells don't produce very much oil ? a mere 3 barrels per day. Half of the country's oil and gas production between 2012 and 2022 came from wells that produced between 100 and 3,200 barrels per day. Chevron is poisoning communities for an average oil well production that fuels about 5 Ford F-150s per day."

The alert concluded by warning the public, "Governor Newsom is standing up for community health and against gasoline price gouging. That's why Chevron is funding the tv ads that are attacking him. Don't be fooled." 

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog