Drivers in 10 California counties can get gas rebates due to a price gouging settlement between the state and three gas trading firms.

In 2020, the California Department of Justice sued Vitol, Inc., SK Energy Americas, Inc. and its parent company SK Trading International, alleging that the companies worked together in secret to manipulate prices after an explosion at a Torrance gasoline refinery in 2015.

The companies engaged “in a scheme to drive up gas prices for their own profit,” that limited competition and caused Californians to pay more at the pump, according to the attorney general’s office.

In July 2024, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the state had reached a $50 million settlement with the companies.

Of that, $37.5 million will be distributed as gas rebates to impacted consumers in California.

People who purchased fuel in select parts of the state can now apply to get money back, Bonta said in an Oct. 2 news release.