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Get ready for a little bit more pain at the pump this summer. Crude oil prices are at the highest level in more than three years and expected to climb higher, pushing up gasoline prices along the way.

California state officials announced April 26 that $2.4 billion from increases in the gas tax and vehicle fees will be spent on dozens of transit projects, including work to prepare Southern California for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

In a Central Valley, Calif., barn decked out in red, white and blue, dairyman and state Senate candidate Johnny Tacherra drew cheers from a crowd of fellow farmers when he said he opposes the California Legislature’s hike on gas taxes and vehicle fees.

Republican activists said April 24 that they have collected at least 830,000 signatures for an initiative to repeal recent increases in California’s gas tax and vehicle fees, more than enough to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

The U.S. average retail price of diesel fuel rose 2.9 cents to $3.133 a gallon as the benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude oil price closed at $68.93 a barrel April 23, a jump of $5.92.

As national average gasoline pump prices climb to near $3 a gallon for the first time since late 2014, the President Donald Trump made it known that he won’t stand for OPEC’s cartel tricks. Bad news, Mr. President: Diesel prices are there.

Thirteen Corn Belt senators, led by Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar and Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, have petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop issuing waivers that exempt certain oil refineries from federal biofuel laws.

Leaders of the effort to repeal California’s new gas tax increase are blasting Republican governor candidate Travis Allen for using money raised to repeal the tax to broadcast ads featuring himself.

With cars becoming more fuel-efficient, the revenue from gasoline taxes is declining, leaving New Hampshire with inadequate funds to maintain roads and bridges, according to state Rep. Norman Major (R-Plaistow), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted a five-year exemption from the 30-minute rest-break requirement for trucks hauling petroleum products and will allow fuel trucks to operate 12 hours a day without triggering the requirement under certain conditions.