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California lectures America about ‘sustainability’ — while running out of gas

The last oil tanker carrying crude from the Persian Gulf (Iraq) is unloading in Long Beach, California. This effectively marks the end of Middle East oil imports to the state, at least for now.

We need to replace roughly 200,000 barrels per day.

We are not running dry — not yet.

California has petroleum stockpiles and 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 current Middle 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.

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.

In-state oil production has plummeted from peaks in the 1980s, when California pumped hundreds of millions of barrels annually, to much lower levels today. The state now imports 60-75% of its crude.

Refining capacity is also shrinking, with major closures like Phillips 66’s LA refinery (2025) and Valero’s........

© New York Post