California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton has issued an impassioned pleato the leaders of California’s oil and gas industry— urging them to “not give up” on the state.

The letter, sent Tuesday to the Golden State’s largest oil companies and trade groups, promises a sweeping overhaul of energy policy if the former Fox News host wins the governor’s race next year.

“Do not give up on California,” Hilton wrote to the industry leaders,including Chevron, Marathon Petroleum, Valero and the California Independent Petroleum Association.

The letter — obtained by The Post — offers a blistering critique of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s energy agenda and California’s controversial cap-and-invest program, which critics argue is driving refineries and energy investment out of the state.

“California’s energy industry is under attack,” Hilton wrote. “For 16 years, one-party rule in Sacramento led by Gavin Newsom has targeted the very industry that helped build California’s prosperity.”

Hilton’s intervention comes as gasoline prices in California have surged above $5 a gallon statewide, the highest in the nation.

Some energy analysts have warned that prices could climb even higher — potentially approaching $8 a gallon — if refinery capacity continues shrinking and regulators move forward with a proposed overhaul of the state’s greenhouse-gas program.

Both Chevron and Marathon Oil sent letters to Newsom in the last week laying out a doomsday scenario if more refineries flee the state.

“The proposed regulation will cripple the survivability of the state’s remaining refineries, which will result in California losing the entire industry to this misguided program,”Chevron President Andy Walzwrote to Newsom.

An industry source told The Post that the governor’s office did not respond to Chevron’s letter. Newsom instead spent last week hawking his new book in stops across the country, including a weird moment with comedian Adam Friedland in whichthe governor needed help sounding “human.”

Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos