Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler expressed his disbelief at the exorbitant gas prices he encountered during a recent workout in Los Angeles.
While filling up his car, Butler exclaimed, "This is highway f**king robbery!" as he watched the numbers on the pump rise. In a lighthearted tone, he jokingly pondered whether he could get a refund by claiming he had put the wrong gas in his vehicle. Butler even quipped about going electric to avoid the steep costs, asking, "Can y'all believe it costs $145 to fill up a Bugatti?"
Butler's reaction highlights the growing concern over soaring gas prices, even among wealthy individuals like himself. Coming from Houston, Texas, where gas prices average $3.38 per gallon, Butler is accustomed to lower costs. In Florida, where he plays for the Miami Heat, the average price is $3.56. However, in California, the average price skyrockets to a staggering $5.89 per gallon.
The Biden administration's push to transition away from fossil fuels has faced numerous challenges. The recent autoworkers' strike has disrupted the production of American-made vehicles, while a Chinese state-run firm is set to receive over $536 million in incentives and tax breaks to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Illinois. On the other hand, Ford has halted work on a $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan.
Even toy company Lego has encountered difficulties in its efforts to reduce its reliance on oil-based plastics. In 2018, Lego announced its goal to replace these plastics with sustainable materials in the 110-120 billion pieces it produces annually by 2030. However, the company later admitted that transitioning its entire production facilities to "go green" would have a higher carbon footprint and be detrimental to the environment. Lego's head of sustainability, Tim Brooks, expressed disappointment, stating, "In order to scale production [of recycled PET], the level of disruption to the manufacturing environment was such that we needed to change everything in our factories. After all that, the carbon footprint would have been higher. It was disappointing."
Butler's reaction to the high gas prices serves as a reminder that the Biden administration's efforts to move away from fossil fuels are not without challenges. The autoworkers' strike and the setbacks faced by Ford and Lego highlight the complexities of transitioning to alternative energy sources.
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