STREAMING MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, FEATURING JEFF BLISS, 4-10-2026
1970 HILTON LV
While the sources do not specifically cite a current price of exactly $8 per gallon, they describe a global energy landscape where prices are rapidly approaching or exceeding that mark. In Tokyo, for instance, gasoline prices were approaching $9 a gallon before government subsidies brought the cost down to $4.50. In Europe, costs are also extreme, with prices exceeding 2.20 euro per liter in Berlin and France.

In the United States, the following factors are contributing to high costs, particularly in the West:

Regional Highs: Southern California is currently seeing gas prices in the high sixes.
Taxation: A significant portion of the cost in California is driven by taxes, which now total nearly $2 for every gallon.
Refinery Capacity: The closure of numerous refineries has created a refined fuel bottleneck. This lack of capacity is now causing prices to "creep up into California territory" in neighboring states like Arizona and Nevada, which traditionally relied on California's surplus.
Seasonal Demand: As the Eastern U.S. enters "driving season," there is no expectation that prices will drop toward previous levels, especially since California remains in a perpetual driving season.

John Batchelor emphasizes that these rising costs for gasoline and electricity are not merely economic issues but geopolitical drivers that will influence political stability and voter behavior worldwide in the coming months.