California motorists consumed an extra 34,500 barrels of gasoline every day in February compared with the same month last year, state tax records show. The state is just part of a nationwide surge in driving that has pushed U.S. gasoline consumption up by more than 300,000 barrels per day compared with last year. California drivers filled their cars with 1.148 billion gallons of gasoline in February, about 40.5 million gallons more than in February 2014, an increase of almost 3.7 percent. The Golden State has the most expensive gasoline in the country owing to its relative isolation, special fuel formulations and high level of tax. The state collects 66 cents per gallon in state and federal gasoline taxes, second only to Pennsylvania on 70 cents, and far above the national average of 49 cents, according to the American Petroleum Institute. But thanks to the plunge in crude oil […]