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Thank you to Pearson Fuels for being the first to make a PAC Max contribution for 2026!
At CFCA, we're dedicated to ensuring the success and growth of our industry, but we can't do it alone. CFCA's Political Action Committee (PAC) enables CFCA representatives to meet and support candidates for state elective office, ensuring that present and future lawmakers know who we are and what we contribute to the California economy. In California, each candidates PAC can receive up to $9,800 per company/individual per calendar year.
Join them in maxxing out!
| | There has been a significant amount of policy and compliance activity. We've created this compliance checklist to make it easier for our members to keep on track with all updates. Take a moment to ensure you’re fully up to speed by reviewing this Compliance Checklist: | | |
This Compliance Checklist details what you need to know for:
#1 Immediate Action Required for ABC Licensees: Kratom/7-OH
#2 Proposition 65 Compliance Reminder for Bisphenol S (BPS)
#3 Attention Tobacco Retailers: Unflavored Tobacco List
#4 SB 1053 is in Effect: No More Plastic Bags
#5 Biodiesel B20 On-Road-In-Use Requirements No Longer in Effect
#6 Workplace Know Your Rights Model Notice Requirement
#7 Cal/OSHA Form 300A Workplace Illnesses and Injuries Annual Summary Requirement
#8 Tianeptine Restrictions
#9 New Form Required For Employers: Emergency Contact Form for Arrest or Detention
#10 California Regulations on AI and Privacy Policies
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Urge Congress to Support Credit Card Swipe Fee Reform
Swipe fees in the U.S. are among the highest in the world and continue to rise year after year. Without action, businesses will keep shouldering these costs, squeezing margins and contributing to higher prices for consumers. The Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) would introduce much-needed competition into the credit card market and help rein in excessive swipe fees.
Take 1 minute today to urge Congress to support the Credit Card Competition Act by completing NACS’ call-to-action form:
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To read more about the Credit Card Competition Act, click HERE.
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RATCHETING UP
March 2, 2026
California was already navigating a perfect storm on gasoline prices. The conflagration in Iran just added the lightning.
The Middle Eastern conflict has stemmed the flow of oil shipments out of the Persian Gulf, spiking global oil commodity prices. Oil analysts are warning that the market volatility will quickly translate into an uptick of gasoline prices at the pump.
Add to that California’s ongoing refinery woes, and the Golden State could see $5 per gallon in the coming weeks, according to Ryan Cummings, chief of staff of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
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Iran Attack Engulfs the Oil Markets
March 2, 2026
The United States and Israel show no signs of slowing the military campaign against Iran. And that’s triggering an oil price spike that’s offering Democrats a new opening to sway voters on energy affordability.
The U.S.-Israeli weekend attack that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has claimed hundreds of lives in Iran and a handful of U.S. service members, while roiling markets worldwide. Today, President Donald Trump said the administration had projected the conflict could continue for four to five weeks, and left open the possibility of a longer war.
That risks further inflaming the global oil supply, write Ben Lefebvre and James Bikales.
Retaliatory attacks have already damaged several oil tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz, which abuts Iran and offers passage to more than 20 percent of the world’s waterborne crude oil shipments…
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CAP AND WHAT
February 24, 2026
State lawmakers claimed the extension of cap-and-trade last year as an affordability win. So politically, a lot for them is now riding on the California Air Resources Board’s draft rules for the future of the state’s signature carbon market.
Several pushed back on CARB Chair Lauren Sanchez’s assertion in a Monday afternoon hearing that the draft rules released last month would not impact ratepayers…
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THE PRICE OF POLLUTION
February 25, 2026
California’s carbon market keeps missing, and the budget is paying for it.
Polluters required to buy permits to cover their emissions paid only the state-set minimum in the latest quarterly action in February, according to results published Wednesday by the California Air Resources Board. They also left roughly 4 percent of the advance permits, which cover emissions in 2029, on the table, the first time the auction fell short since last May.
The results show continued uncertainty in the program as regulators work to finalize new rules for the market by this summer and content with the ever-lingering threat of a federal lawsuit…
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STUCK ON THE TARMAC
February 25, 2026
Newsom’s budget plan to boost sustainable aviation fuel production is drawing harsh criticism.
The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office recommended Tuesday that state lawmakers reject Newsom’s proposed tax credit, which would let fuel producers reduce their diesel tax liability in exchange for refining more sustainable aviation fuel.
LAO analysts warned that the concept, which Newsom’s finance officials estimate could reduce diesel tax revenue by $165 million to $300 million, would disrupt state and local transportation projects that rely on those dollars while doing little for climate goals. (CARB estimates aviation accounts for only roughly 1 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.)
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OPPOSITE LANES
February 26, 2026
Democrats and Republicans have long held starkly different views on electric vehicle policy, and Newsom’s proposed $200 million rebate program is no exception.
A new Public Policy Institute of California poll released Thursday found that 87 percent of Republicans surveyed said they oppose new EV incentives, alongside 71 percent of independents.
Meanwhile, a slight majority of Democratic voters — 52 percent — said they support Newsom’s plan, while 59 percent of respondents who identified as liberal back the idea.
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An Oil Refinery Defined Life In This Quaint California City. What Happens When It's Gone?
February 26, 2026
Less than 40 miles north of San Francisco, the city of Benicia has the quaint ambience of an American small town, where a white gazebo and sign for a community crab bake mark the approach to a vibrant downtown stretch of restaurants, cafes and antique shops…
The Benicia oil refinery, which the Texas oil company Valero bought from Exxon in 2000, thrived in an era when fossil fuels reigned largely unchecked over the US – offering reliable local taxes, well-paying jobs and steady economic opportunities for the many small businesses in its orbit.
But as California pivots to meet its ambitious clean energy goals, refineries like this one are on the decline…
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Santa Barbara Judge Rules Against Company That Turned to Trump for Help Restarting Pipeline
February 26, 2026
A Santa Barbara judge intends to rule against Sable Offshore Corp.’s bid to restart a pipeline that spilled thousands of barrels of crude into the Pacific 11 years ago – dealing a significant blow to the company’s attempt to use the Trump Administration to get around California regulators in its path.
In a tentative ruling, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Donna D. Geck said the Trump administration’s intervention was not enough to undo her earlier order keeping the pipeline shut down. The ruling — a preliminary decision signalling how the judge intends to rule unless persuaded otherwise — comes ahead of a Friday hearing…
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California GOP Lawmakers are Incensed over a Gas Tax Study. Rural Groups say They Need It.
March 2, 2026
For more than a month, Republican lawmakers in California have blasted a legislative proposal to study alternatives to the state’s gas tax, declaring it a dishonest ploy by Democrats to hike taxes on drivers — a claim that’s gone viral on social media and is frequently repeated by conservatives nationally.
Ironically, though, several of California’s biggest conservative interest groups and rural Republican officials support the legislation, some from the very districts those critical GOP lawmakers represent.
Assembly Bill 1421, introduced by Assembly Transportation Chair Lori Wilson, a Suisun City Democrat, would order the California Transportation Commission to summarize all existing research and recommendations on how to charge drivers by how much they use the road instead of how much fuel they consume.
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Trump Wants to Bury this Climate Tax at Sea
February 26, 2026
President Donald Trump is escalating his fight against a global carbon tax — in a move that could tank a major effort to curb a persistent source of planet-warming pollution.
The State Department is drafting a diplomatic memo advising countries against adopting a carbon tax on shipping pollution, along with a broader climate initiative called the Net-Zero Framework, writes Sara Schonhardt.
The memo says the United States “will not tolerate” the creation of a fund that uses carbon tax revenue to help lower the shipping industry’s climate pollution, which accounts for roughly 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
It comes after the Trump administration threatened to slap tariffs on any nation that supported the carbon tax, which the U.N. International Maritime Organization spent years negotiating with dozens of countries that were poised to vote on the initiative last fall.
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CAP-AND-HEARTBURN
March 2, 2026
California isn’t the only state where Democrats are at odds over the potential for signature climate programs to increase residents’ cost of living.
New York lawmakers who supported the 2019 law that launched the state’s cap-and-invest program are up in arms over Gov. Kathy Hochul’s stance that strict emissions reduction targets will worsen an affordability crisis, POLITICO’s Marie J. French and Mona Zhang report.
The pushback comes after the state’s energy department released a memo estimating that the current emissions target — a 40 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2030 — could increase gas prices by $2.23 per gallon by 2031.
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Stay Connected With Your Local Chapter!
As a CFCA Member, you're automatically part of one of our Local Chapters, established to help us better advocate for and engage with our members on the issues that matter most at the city and county level.
| | | | Don't forget to join us on the BAND app, where you can stay up to date on the latest alerts for your region. For any questions, contact Bryan Lam, at bryan@cfca.energy | | |
State & Local Updates!
Stay tuned to see how we’re advocating on your behalf, including our correspondence with lawmakers, responses to key policies, and other important communications shaping the industry.
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California Business and Energy Leaders Urge Federal Action to Stabilize California's Energy Future at Inaugural CA/DC Energy Summit
Published October 22, 2025
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Inagural CA/DC Energy Summit to Address California's Impending Energy Crisis
Published October 7, 2025
| | | We want to highlight and thank our top contributors from 2025! | | |
5 Star Contributors
AU Energy & Loop Neighborhood Markets
Boyett Petroleum
Ed Staub & Sons Petroleum, Inc.
MJ Tank Lines
Ramos Oil
Robinson Oil
SC Fuels
Tooley Oil
TORO Petroleum Corporation
Valley Pacific Petroleum Services, Inc.
Van De Pol Enterprises, Inc.
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3-4 Star Contributors
CircleK
ExtraMile Convenience Stores, LLC.
Fred Whitaker
Jackson Energy
J.B. Dewar, Inc.
Rinehart Oil, Inc.
The Strauch Company
Stuarts Petroleum
United Pacific
| | | | This section highlights key legal actions CFCA is currently involved in to protect and advocate for the interests and well-being of the fuel and convenience industry. | | |
Coalition of Grocers, Retailers, Local Beverage Distributors and Restaurants Files Lawsuit to Halt Illegal Beverage Tax in Santa Cruz
May 29, 2025 - A coalition of grocers, restaurants, and retailers is suing Santa Cruz over a new beverage tax, claiming it violates California’s Keep Groceries Affordable Act. The tax adds costs for small businesses and working families, despite clear state law banning local grocery taxes.
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CFCA Joins Multi-State Lawsuit Challenging EPA's Approval of California's New Emission Standards
March 7, 2025 - “California’s new heavy diesel emission standards will raise costs for everyone," said Elizabeth Graham, Chief Executive Officer of the California Fuels and Convenience Alliance. “These increasingly stringent standards will make it much more costly for trucking companies to replace their fleets, which we all depend on for a continual supply of food, fuel, and other essential commodities. And this isn’t just a California issue; it’s affecting businesses across the country because Congress has enabled California to federalize its air emission standards.”
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