California’s working families are too often left out of the conversation on policies that deeply impact them. One policy that would have far-reaching consequences on fuel supply and prices is South Coast Air Quality Management District proposed Rule 1410, which would ban the use of modified hydrofluoric acid at California refineries. This proposed rule is currently being pushed at the AQMD by a handful of activists whose previous attempts at a ban have died or stalled out at the Torrance City Council and in the state legislature.
Simply put, this proposal would mean families will pay more at the pump. A recent analysis by the California Energy Commission found that it runs the likely risk of shutting down two Southern California refineries that are responsible for 25 percent of Southern California’s fuel supply. The proposal would also eliminate hundreds of good paying, blue and white collar jobs for residents of our region at a time when California’s unemployment rate exceeds the nation.