by Katy Grimes, E&E Legal Senior Media Fellow and California Globe Editor
As Appearing in the California Globe
Gov. Newsom is single handedly sending California into energy poverty, rather than economic and energy prosperity
Most California residents recognize that California’s highest-in-the-nation gas prices are self-inflected, as is the gasoline crisis in the state. This has subsequently increased dependency on foreign oil suppliers and shippers to supply fuels, and as we reported recently, this poses a direct threat to U.S. military force readiness on the West Coast.
California today produces less than 23% of its own in-state petroleum needs and imports over 65% of its crude oil from foreign sources, yet the oil and gas industry in California account for nearly 8% of the state’s GDP, even in its diminished capacity.
In 1988, the state of California only imported about 4.5% of all the oil that we consumed in our state. By 2020 we were importing over 70%.
As California Assemblyman Stan Ellis, USC Professor Professor Michael Mische, and petroleum expert Michael Ariza warned recently, without oil and gas, the other 92% of the state’s GDP would be impossible to attain.
Arizona gets nearly half of its gas from California. And the vast majority of Nevada’s gas – 88% – comes from California.
