by Katy Grimes, E&E Legal Senior Media Fellow and California Globe Editor
As Appearing in the California Globe

Predictable, inevitable, regrettable, and preventable… CA is facing $8.43/gallon gas as refineries close

The Valero oil refinery in Benicia, CA is shut down. Mike Ariza, former Valero manager and oil and gas expert, told the Globe Tuesday that they started shutting down January 31st, and thermal imaging reports that the refinery is cold. And he said the Crimson pipeline, which moved crude oil from Southern California to Northern California is also down.

“We are in an unprecedented oil crisis,” Ariza said.

In April 2025, Valero Energy Corporation announced it would shut down its Benicia Refinery in April 2026.

This hit came after Chevron Oil Company relocated to Houston, Texas from the Bay Area, and Phillips 66 began shutting down its Los Angeles refinery in October 2025.

But our oil experts predicted months ago that Valero appeared to be aiming to shut down sooner, and gas prices were already starting to shoot up.