California’s oil industry tore into Democratic leadership on Mondayafter the last oil tankerarrived in the state, carrying fuel from the Middle East.
Now, the state will face its first real test of how to replace 200,000 barrels of oil a day asIran restricts the passage of shipsthrough the Strait of Hormuz in its ongoing war with the US.
Last year, based on state data, California refineries sourced around 30% of their foreign crude oil from the Persian Gulf.
Unless action is taken, gas prices could spike even more, experts have warned, and suppliers may soon start trying to seek out oil from outside the Middle East in response.
That reliance on foreign oil is due to the state’s climate policies that have discouraged domestic oil production, landing California in the situation it’s in, oil groups told the California Post.
“This is the consequence of shutting down in-state production in favor of foreign imports,” said Rock Zierman, CEO of the California Independent Petroleum Association.
“Slow permitting, illegal bans on well stimulation and urban production has led to our dependence on oil from the Middle East and the Amazon Rainforest,” he added.
He called for an emergency meeting to be convened by the governor with industry “to keep in-state refineries, pipelines, and wells operational so this problem doesn’t keep growing out of hand.”
Jim Stanley, a spokesperson for the Western States Petroleum Association, said it shouldn’t make sense for California to rely so much on imported oil.
“This shows the recklessness of California’s policy of intentionally outsourcing our critical energy infrastructure to other parts of the world,” he told the Post.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
