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California Senate passes bill aimed at preventing gas price spikes

California Senate passes bill aimed at preventing gas price spikes

Personalized FEEDBACK

VOCABULARY

bill – a written description of a new law that is being suggested and that the lawmakers of a country, state, etc., must vote to accept before it becomes law

bill (n.1)

[written statement] late 14c., “formal document; formal plea or charge (in a court of law); personal letter,” from Anglo-French bille, Anglo-Latin billa “a writing, a list, a seal,” from Medieval Latin bulla “decree, seal, sealed document,” in classical Latin “bubble, boss, stud, amulet for the neck” (hence “seal”); see bull (n.2).

The sense of “written statement detailing articles sold or services rendered by one person to another” is from c. 1400; that of “order addressed to one person to pay another” is from 1570s. The meaning “paper intended to give public notice of something, exhibited in a public place” is from late 15c. The sense of “paper money, bank-note” is from 1660s. The meaning “draft of a proposed statute presented to a legislature” is from 1510s.


senate – the smaller group of the two groups of people who meet to discuss and make the laws of a country, state, etc.

senate (n.)

c. 1200, “the legal and administrative body of ancient Rome,” from Old French senat or Latin senatus “highest council of the state in ancient Rome,” literally “council of elders,” from senex (genitive senis) “old man, old” (from PIE root *sen- “old”).

It is attested from late 14c. in reference to governing bodies of free cities in Europe (Italy); of national governing bodies from 1550s (typically the upper or less-numerous branch of the legislature). The specific sense of “upper house of the U.S. legislature” is recorded from 1775.


GRAMMAR

You said: Yes but it’s difficult how to decide who is best, very difficult because we have no information about these person,
Better: Yes, I voted, but choosing who to vote for was challenging because we didn’t have much information about the candidates.

You said: I like follow only by myself.
Better: I only like following my own rules.

You said: I didn’t train Kanji in my elementary school, never train, so I could not read kanji when I was elementary school student, so I always ignore kanji in test. I only read Hiragana and Katakana.
Better: I didn’t learn to read or write kanji when I was in elementary school, so I couldn’t read kanji. Because of this, I always ignored kanji in tests and only focused on reading and writing hiragana and katakana.

PRONUNCIATION

notoriously [ noh-TAWR-ee-uhs-lee ]
refiner [ ri-FAHY-nuhr ]
crude [ krood ]
oversight [ OH-ver-sahyt ]

Billはなんですか?

Senateはなんですか?

What is a Bill?

What is the Senate?

bill – a written description of a new law that is being suggested and that the lawmakers of a country, state, etc., must vote to accept before it becomes law

senate – the smaller group of the two groups of people who meet to discuss and make the laws of a country, state, etc.

https://simplelegalguides.com/blogs/simple-legal-guides-blog/organization-chart-for-the-united-states-federal-government

The Senate is part of the legislative branch.

 

notoriously [ noh-TAWR-ee-uhs-lee ]

refiner [ ri-FAHY-nuhr ]

crude [ krood ]

oversight [ OH-ver-sahyt ]

Posted November 8, 2024

Category: Business

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. notoriously / noʊˈtɔr i əs li / (adv.) – in a way that is known for something bad or negative
    Example:

The teacher is notoriously strict, and students are always careful to follow the rules in her class.

英単語の発音するときアクセントのある音は高音をだすのですか?大きな音をだすのですか?

When pronouncing English words, should the stressed syllable be pronounced with a higher pitch, or with a louder sound?

初めてそれを発見した人が,どのような考えでそれを発見したかを考えたり それを自分の発想で見つけることを重視します

I place importance on thinking about what ideas the person who first discovered it had, or discovering it through my own ideas.

漢字をすべて読めなかったので,国語と社会のテストはよくなかったです.数学と理科は漢字が読めなくても良かったので簡単でした.美術もそうです.

I didn’t do well on the Japanese and social studies tests because I couldn’t read all the kanji. Math and science were easier since reading kanji wasn’t necessary, and the same was true for art.

もし,母音が一つなら,その母音がアクセントですか?

If there is only one vowel, is that vowel the stressed syllable?

  1. at the pump / æt ðə pʌmp / (idiom) – the place where people buy fuel for their cars
    Example:

The discount on fuel will help drivers save money at the pump this month.

  1. refiner / rɪˈfaɪnər / (n.) – a company or person that cleans and processes materials to make products, such as oil or sugar
    Example:

The refiner is working to create cleaner fuel to reduce pollution.

  1. crude / krud / (n.) – oil that is taken from the ground and has not been cleaned or changed yet
    Example:

The price of crude has increased significantly over the past year.

  1. oversight / ˈoʊ vərˌsaɪt / (n.) – the act or job of watching or checking something to make sure it is done correctly
    Example:

The new project manager has oversight of the entire team to ensure they meet their deadlines.

Article

Read the text below.

The California state Senate passed a measure on October 11 to prevent gas prices from spiking in a state where it is notoriously expensive to fill up at the pump.

The proposal, backed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, would give energy regulators the authority to require that refiners keep a certain amount of fuel on hand. The goal is to try to keep prices from increasing suddenly when refiners go offline for maintenance. Proponents say it would save Californians billions of dollars at the pump.

The bill was inspired by findings from the state’s Division of Petroleum Market Oversight, which demonstrated that gas price spikes are largely caused by increases in global crude oil prices and unplanned refinery outages.

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, a Democrat representing Berkeley, said the proposal is about saving money for consumers. “While global crude prices are not something we can control, a shortage of refined gasoline is something that we can prepare for,” she said.

It has received intense pushback from Republican lawmakers, labor groups, and the oil industry. Some opponents say it could unintentionally raise overall gas prices and threaten the safety of workers by giving the state more oversight over refinery maintenance schedules. They argued delaying necessary maintenance could lead to accidents.

The Western States Petroleum Association criticized Newsom and the Democratic lawmakers supporting the bill, saying it would not benefit consumers.

“If they were serious about affordability, they’d be working with our industry on real solutions,” Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the group’s president, said in a statement. “Instead, they’re forcing a system they don’t understand, and Californians will pay the price.”

Californians pay the highest rates at the pump due to taxes and environmental regulations. The average price for regular unleaded gas in the state is about $4.67 per gallon as of October 11, compared to the national average of $3.21, according to AAA.

Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle said there shouldn’t have been a special session to weigh the proposal, because the bill does not do anything urgent. The proposal fails to address the state taxes and regulations that contribute to higher gas prices, he said.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • The article mentions that Californians will pay the price for the proposal as it fails to address the state taxes and regulations that contribute to higher gas prices. As a resident, how would you feel if your government imposed a law that prevented sudden spikes in gas prices but could eventually lead to higher taxes? Do you think this is a fair trade? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think the government should have a role in regulating gas prices? Why or why not? In your opinion, is the proposal backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom a good initiative? Why do you think so? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • The proposal would give energy regulators the authority to require refiners to keep a certain amount of fuel on hand to avoid sudden price spikes. How important is it for countries to ensure they have enough fuel on hand to prevent shortages? What do you think are some consequences of not having enough fuel supply in a country? Discuss.
  • How do high gas prices affect your daily life or the lives of people around you? What changes do you think people make when gas prices are high? Discuss.

Category: Business