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Governor Newsom appoints first Director of Petroleum Market Oversight Division

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Governor Newsom announced the appointment of Tai Milder as the first Director of the Division of Petroleum Market Oversight on Tuesday.

The Petroleum Market Oversight, an independent division within the California Energy Commission (CEC), was created during a special session of the state's Legislature earlier this year and took effect in June.

Tuesday's appointment announcement coincides with the release of CEC's new interactive dashboard which details price breakdowns for a gallon of gasoline from January 1999 to the present.

Milder most recently served as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General at the U. S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. Previously, Milder had worked at California's Department of Justice focusing on antitrust law enforcement.

Tai Milder said, “I’m looking forward to leading the nation’s first independent oil and gas watchdog. Transparency and accountability are essential to protecting California consumers and those principles will guide the work of this division every day.”

The position, which requires Senate confirmation, is tasked with evaluating the petroleum market to identify irregular or illegal behavior and will refer any alleged industry misconduct or market manipulation to the state's Attorney General for potential prosecution.

“California is serious about holding Big Oil accountable,"said Governor Newsom. "Tai Milder has an impressive record of going after companies that rip off consumers, and that’s exactly what he’ll be doing – serving as a watchdog over the oil and gas industry and protecting Californians.”