As California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom traveled to Brazil touting his failed energy agenda in mid-November, the reality back home is unavoidable: because of his policies, Californians are paying some of the highest gas and electricity prices in the nation. [emphasis, links added]
We are being crushed by the Newsom energy affordability crisis — and it’s crippling our national security.
Since 2018, more than 360 energy companies have left California due to the state’s debilitating regulations, and new oil drilling permits have fallen by 95% since Newsom assumed office in 2019.
As a result, California has produced nearly 128,000 fewer barrels of oil per day over the past five years — despite holding the fifth-largest petroleum reserves in the country.
The undeniable consequence of Newsom’s refusal to support domestic production is a greater reliance on foreign oil.
In 1982, less than 6% of California’s crude oil came from outside the United States. Today, according to Newsom’s own California Energy Commission, that number has skyrocketed to over 60%. Brazil now accounts for 20% of our imported supply, and 21% comes from Iraq.
Meanwhile, California’s refining capacity continues to collapse.
By early 2026, the state is projected to lose nearly 20% of its remaining refining capacity, and without urgent action, blackouts, price spikes, and fuel shortages will become the new normal – not only for Californians, but for millions across the West Coast who depend on our energy supply.
This drastically impacts the viability of California’s pipelines, most of which require 90,000 barrels a day in production to remain financially solvent and operational.
However, due to shortages, pipelines are barely operating at 50,000 barrels a day, causing $2 million in losses a month for operators.
Currently, Crimson Midstream, the operator of California’s largest crude oil pipeline network, cannot sustain its operations because of Sacramento’s ineptness.
California Democrats’ war on domestic energy production has created so much uncertainty that the San Pablo Bay pipeline is now at risk of shutting down in the new year – further destabilizing California’s fragile energy supply chain and jeopardizing refinery capacity already hanging by a thread.
These disastrous policies have created a man-made shortage of fuel, increasing prices at the pump exponentially for working families and leading to more gasoline imports.
This will likely force California to purchase refined gasoline from oil reserves off its coast, making the state pay a higher price to buy back its own supplies.
But unaffordable prices aren’t the only consequence of Newsom’s war on oil. His created crisis is also undermining our military readiness.
California is home to dozens of U.S. military installations in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. The brave men and women who serve at our bases are capable of deploying anywhere in the world within a handful of hours, but only if they have the fuel they need to accomplish their mission.
Military aviation fuels are highly specialized and of the highest grades, which California’s refineries are equipped to process. In 2024, California’s military installations consumed approximately 10 million gallons of gasoline. With the two most recent refinery closures, jet fuel production is estimated to decrease by at least 600,000 gallons a day.
No amount of Newsom’s strategic, political headlines can hide the threat his policies pose to our national security.
One of the most pressing issues in Congress right now is countering the rising threat of China, which requires us to bolster our readiness in the Indo-Pacific region.
But instead of working across the aisle to address this threat and strengthen California’s role in our national security, Newsom has continued to intentionally reduce California’s refinery capacity and in-state oil production, weakening our defense posture to appease his far-left base.
If California’s fuel network continues to be suffocated by a patchwork of underutilized pipelines and overburdened refineries without enough energy supply to operate, the military fuel supply chain supporting the West Coast’s military operational capabilities will be harmed.
Newsom’s progressive agenda and his presidential ambitions have led him to ignore these stark facts. This is not only incompetent, but irresponsible and dangerous.
To revitalize California’s energy future and deter our nation’s adversaries, our state needs to increase permitting tenfold, expand our drilling capacity, and reinstate enhanced oil recovery methods. This is necessary to keep our pipelines operational as we work to expand our refining capabilities.
Sacramento should be working with us in Congress and President Donald Trump to expand domestic energy production — a necessity for meeting California’s growing energy demands and strengthening America’s national security.
Instead, Newsom seems more interested in obstructing these efforts than partnering with us to deliver affordable, reliable energy for Californians.
Newsom’s poor energy policies are the cause of California’s affordability crisis. The choice for Newsom is clear: continue down a path of scarcity and dependence, or reverse course with California’s energy producers to restore true energy independence for our state and our nation.
The future of California’s economy — and America’s national security — depends on it.
Top image via ABC News/YouTube screencap
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