{"id":2598400,"date":"2026-05-04T08:56:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T12:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-copied-europes-insane-energy-playbook-and-now-residents-are-really-paying-the-price\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T09:00:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T13:00:46","slug":"california-copied-europes-insane-energy-playbook-and-now-residents-are-really-paying-the-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-copied-europes-insane-energy-playbook-and-now-residents-are-really-paying-the-price\/","title":{"rendered":"California Copied Europe&#8217;s Insane Energy Playbook, And Now Residents Are Really Paying the Price"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornia-copied-europes-insane-energy-playbook-and-now-residents-are-really-paying-the-price%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2598400&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The text is a political commentary arguing that U.S. gasoline is far cheaper than in many European countries as the U.S. relies on lower fuel taxes and stronger domestic energy production, which the author says provides <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/swiss-pursue-home-grown-energy-panacea-reluctantly\/\" title=\"Swiss pursue home-grown energy panacea \u2013 reluctantly\">greater energy security<\/a>. It claims European governments-and especially California-have chosen higher excise taxes, VAT\/\u201cgreen\u201d levies, and extensive regulations that are intended too force a \u201cpremature energy transition,\u201d leading to higher pump prices and broader higher costs across the economy.<\/p>\n<p>It points to Europe\u2019s dependence on imported oil and gas as a source of vulnerability and argues this dependence persists even while known reserves exist domestically. For California specifically,it cites high state fuel taxes and cap-and-trade costs,plus fuel mandates and environmental rules,saying these measures raise prices while also contributing to the closure or idling of refineries. The author rejects obligation being placed on President Donald trump, portraying high costs as a predictable outcome of policy choices in Europe and California.<\/p>\n<p>the piece concludes that \u201cpunitive\u201d taxation and heavy regulation tied to ideology increase scarcity, insecurity, and economic drag, while the U.S. approach-lower taxes and energy dominance-produces affordability and resilience. The passage ends by framing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/japans-trust-crisis-after-abe\/\" title=\"Japan\u2019s Trust Crisis After Abe\">current global turmoil<\/a> as further evidence supporting that argument.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Even as U.S. gasoline prices rise again amid ongoing Strait of Hormuz tensions, American drivers are still paying less than half what many Europeans and Asians endure at the pump. The reason is simple: America chose lower taxes and genuine energy security.<\/p>\n<p>Europe and California deliberately chose the opposite \u2014 and are now reaping the painful, predictable consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Taxes explain most of the gap, as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/economy\/why-gasoline-is-so-much-cheaper-in-the-u-s-than-overseas-f6bd2309?eafs_enabled=false\">Wall Street Journal detailed<\/a> on April 22. European governments routinely pile on $3\u2013$4 per gallon in excise duties, VAT and \u201cgreen\u201d levies. In Germany, prices recently hit the equivalent of $8.75 a gallon, with taxes comprising over half the total. Most U.S. states charge roughly 20 cents.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t an accident of geography or culture. Americans built a sprawling, car-dependent economy after World War II and have repeatedly rejected European-style punishment at the pump. Europeans tolerated it, and their politicians weaponized fuel taxes as an easy money grab, and to force behaviors preferred by their central planners.<\/p>\n<p>The result is embedded inflation across every sector: Higher costs for trucking food, shipping goods and powering industry. Europeans don\u2019t just pay more to fill their tanks \u2014 they pay more for everything that moves on petroleum. Their living standards suffer accordingly.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container = document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script = document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src = \"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement = document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex = paragraphs.findIndex(p => p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex === -1 || targetIndex < x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer = new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries) => { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry => { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve = findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Energy security delivers America\u2019s second big advantage. The U.S. produces more than two-thirds of its own oil and imports the rest mostly from Canada and other friendly Western Hemisphere sources. We are largely insulated from Middle East chaos.<\/p>\n<p>Europe, by contrast, lectures the world about \u201cenergy transition\u201d while remaining dangerously dependent on imports even as it sits atop known, undeveloped reserves. The same nations that demonize oil and gas refuse to produce their own, choosing instead to outsource vulnerability first to Russia, then to OPEC, and now to U.S. LNG. This is not prudent policy. It is willful self-sabotage clothed in false virtue.<\/p>\n<p>Nowhere is this failure more glaring than California, which has imported Germany\u2019s disastrous model wholesale and turned itself into America\u2019s premier energy basket case.<\/p>\n<p>With an 81-cent state gas tax, 60\u201370 cent cap-and-trade penalty, boutique \u201cCalifornia blend\u201d fuel mandates, and layers of environmental rules explicitly designed to punish gasoline and driving, the Golden State routinely posts pump prices $2 above the national average.<\/p>\n<p>In-state production has been strangled. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/todayinenergy\/detail.php?id=65704\">Refineries are closing<\/a> or idling. The state now imports gasoline from South Korea, the Bahamas, and the Middle East, exposing its residents to global shocks while <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >preaching climate alarm orthodoxy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Gavin Newsom and his bureaucrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.ca.gov\/2026\/03\/10\/governor-newsom-blasts-trump-for-raising-gasoline-prices-on-americans-with-no-plan-and-no-accountability\/\">want voters to believe<\/a> it\u2019s all President Donald Trump\u2019s fault, but it isn\u2019t. It is the entirely foreseeable outcome of using tax and regulatory warfare to force a premature energy transition. Instead of transitioning, California is de-industrializing and making its citizens poorer in the process.<\/p>\n<p>The broader lesson is damning. High-tax, high-regulation, import-dependent energy policies do not deliver utopia or planetary salvation. They deliver chronic vulnerability, inflated living costs, and economic drag. Europe\u2019s drivers pay double or triple because politicians prioritized revenue and ideology over abundance. California followed suit and became a cautionary tale for the rest of America.<\/p>\n<p>But most U.S. states reap the rewards of the opposite approach: Reasonable taxation that doesn\u2019t treat fuel as a sin, aggressive domestic production that delivers record output, and supply chains resilient enough to weather global crises without collapse. Prices rise during supply shocks, but there are no lines at the pump and no systemic shortages. That is the fruit of policy grounded in reality rather than fantasy.<\/p>\n<p>America\u2019s advantage at the pump is neither accident nor mystery: It is the direct result of rejecting the punitive European model that California eagerly embraced. Policymakers who ignore this lesson are not visionaries: They are ideologues imposing measurable harm on the people they claim to serve.<\/p>\n<p>The current global turmoil should serve as a wake-up call. Punitive taxation and regulatory strangulation of conventional energy produce scarcity, insecurity and higher costs borne by working families.<\/p>\n<p>America\u2019s formula of lower taxes and energy dominance delivers affordability, resilience and genuine energy security.<\/p>\n<p>Europe \u2014 and California \u2014 stand as expensive warnings of what happens when nations choose ideology over reality. Americans outside of the Golden State should reject that failing path with zero apology.<\/p>\n<p><em>David Blackmon is an energy writer and consultant based in Texas. He spent 40 years in the oil and gas business, where he specialized in public policy and communications.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter\u2019s byline and their DCNF affiliation. 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( opts[inputs[i]] = document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display = 'block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src = firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id'] = firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting = jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display = 'block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the passage (trimmed to the core argument):<\/p>\n<p>As U.S. gas prices climb again amid continued Strait of Hormuz tensions, Americans still pay far less than many Europeans and Asians. This largely comes down to policy choices: the U.S. opted for lower fuel taxes and real energy security, while Europe and California imposed higher taxes and tougher restrictions. The result is predictable harm-higher prices not only at the pump but across the entire economy, as fuel-driven costs rise for shipping, trucking, and industry. Instead of affordability and stability, these approaches create chronic vulnerability and inflationary pressure that erodes living standards<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2598401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_7933.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4045,36468,33430],"class_list":["post-2598400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-california","tag-energy-policy","tag-renewable-energy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_7933.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2598400"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2598409,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598400\/revisions\/2598409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2598401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2598400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2598400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2598400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}