Thelast oil tankercarrying crude from the Persian Gulf (Iraq) is unloading in Long Beach, California. This effectively marks the end ofMiddle East oil importsto the state, at least for now.
We need to replace roughly 200,000 barrels per day.
We are not running dry — not yet.
California haspetroleum stockpilesand can pivot to other sources like Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Canada, and increased U.S. domestic crude.
Yet the scramble itself exposes a deeper rot: state-level decisions have made California uniquely vulnerable to supply shocks like the currentMiddle East disruptions.
Geography does not help. California is an “energy island,” with very limited pipelines from other U.S. regions, forcing tanker imports, typically going through the Panama Canal.
California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.
The Trump administration has tried to help. The president suspended Jones Act requirements, temporarily allowing non-U.S.-flagged tankers to handle port-to-port shipments, from East Coast and Gulf refineries to California, easing the immediate crunch. (Democrats opposed the move, clinging to the century-old law’s job protectionism even as Californians faced spiking gas prices.)
But California’s energy supply is in trouble. And that is because of long-term policy choices our state has made to restrict the local oil and gas industry.
Several state administrations contributed to the problem, but the heaviest regulation occurred under Governor Gavin Newsom.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
