{"id":432033,"date":"2026-03-18T14:26:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T13:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=432033"},"modified":"2026-03-18T14:26:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T13:26:52","slug":"new-energy-policies-in-california-threatening-americas-national-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=432033","title":{"rendered":"New energy policies in California threatening America\u2019s national security."},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

America\u2019s economy and national security are heavily reliant on California, the 4th<\/sup> largest economy in the world.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Ronald Stein<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, P.E., is an engineer, columnist on energy literacy at America Out Loud NEWS, and advisor on energy literacy for the Heartland Institute and CFACT, and co-author of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book \u201cClean Energy Exploitations.\u201d He is also the recipient of an unsolicited Tribute to Ronald Stein from Stephen Hines<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike Umbro<\/em><\/strong><\/a> is an energy entrepreneur, innovator, and advocate for affordable, reliable, and locally produced energy in California.  As **founder** of the nonprofit **Californians for Energy & Science**, he leads efforts to research and highlight the economic, environmental, and security benefits of in-state energy production, including oil, gas, geothermal, and emerging technologies like Geologic Thermal Energy Storage (GeoTES).He\u2019s a vocal proponent of unleashing California\u2019s natural resources to reduce reliance on imports, lower costs for consumers, and support jobs and innovation in the state.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co-authored by Ronald Stein<\/em><\/strong><\/a> and Mike Umbro<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published March 16, 2026, in America Out Loud NEWS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New energy policies in California threatening America\u2019s national security – America Out Loud News<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

California\u2019s high regulatory burden and taxes have been the basis of corporate business decisions to leave California for more pro-business locations to run a business. The exodus out of California includes such majors as Tesla, Oracle, Chevron, SpaceX, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Charles Schwab, and Yamaha, that have relocated headquarters from California to states with lower taxes and regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An increasingly adversarial policy environment has already contributed to recent refinery closures in California that have significantly reduced U.S. West Coast refining capacity, raising concerns about fuel shortages and price spikes. Key shutdowns include Phillips 66\u2019s Los Angeles refinery<\/a> (late 2025) and the Valero Benicia refinery<\/a> (scheduled for April 2026), removing roughly 20% of California\u2019s gasoline supply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With no crude oil pipelines over the Sierra Mountains, California, the 4th<\/sup> largest economy in the world, is an \u201cEnergy Island\u201d separated from the crude oil supply, and the infrastructure of oil refineries from the other 49 States. Thus, all in-state California transportation fuel demands for the military, ships, airports, cars, and trucks have staggering numbers FROM in-state refineries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California\u2019s economy faces threats with new energy policy changes as the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the agency responsible for enforcing air\u2011quality polices in the state\u2014has proposed new limits on greenhouse gas emissions for local businesses. These changes pose serious risks to California\u2019s cost of living, job security and reliable supply chains of transportation fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the California \u201cEnergy Island\u201d losing refineries, and CARB tightening the noose further, we\u2019ll be losing more CA refineries at the time that the 4th<\/sup> largest economy in the world NEEDS new refineries to be built IN CALIFORNIA. The recent announcement of a new Reliance refinery in Brownsville in Texas will be useless to the demands on the California \u201cEnergy Island\u201d.  California remains a national security risk to America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CARB\u2019s Proposed Cap-and-Invest Regulation will upend California\u2019s transportation fuels market and threaten critical energy and national security assets and raise the price of gasoline, jet, and diesel fuels, impact California jobs, and threaten national security for America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transportation fuel supply declines from refinery closures are resulting in steep, sudden declines in production capacity of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, and bunker fuel for the 1,000\u2019s of merchant ships serving three of the busiest ports on the West Coast.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Affordability is a top concern for California residents, and these proposed amendments would only exacerbate the high cost of living in the state. For consumers, weakened refinery operations translate into tighter fuel supply, greater price volatility, and higher gasoline prices, particularly during periods of peak demand. Reduced in\u2011state production increases reliance on costly and slow\u2011to\u2011arrive foreign imports that are ill\u2011suited to respond to supply shocks and carry higher lifecycle emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California\u2019s in\u2011state refining system plays an important role in supporting U.S. energy security, Military readiness, national defense, including military defense installations in the state that could be compromised if this CARB policy is finalized. California refineries supply a broad range of transportation fuels, including aviation fuels that are critical to commercial and military operations, and they operate near major ports, military installations, and strategic hubs serving the Pacific region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continued erosion of California\u2019s refining capacity risks increased reliance on imported fuels that are slower to arrive, more exposed to global supply disruptions, and less reliable during emergencies or periods of heightened geopolitical risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refinery closures in California reduce fuel supply resilience on the West Coast, increasing risks to military readiness and national security. Maintaining a stable policy framework that supports continued operation of California refineries is therefore not only an economic and consumer affordability issue, but also a matter of broader national security and national defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposed CARB regulation changes will cripple the survivability of the State\u2019s remaining refineries, which will result in California losing the entire refining industry to this misguided CARB program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The California energy industry\u2019s economic, industrial, environmental, and national security benefits have been the foundation of a healthy, prosperous state and nation. Adversarial policies at local, regional and state levels have eroded that foundation. These proposed CARB regulatory changes threaten to destroy it and cause lasting and irreversible harm to California\u2019s economy and energy security and broader vital American interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The California energy island will be increasing dependent on imported transportation fuels from new refineries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The supply chain of fuels and products refined from raw crude oil will face severe imbalance, leading to higher costs and shortages for future generations. In the future, new refinery units that are planned or announced in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East will be providing the transportation fuel to California\u2019s 9 international airports, 41 military airports, and 3 of the largest shipping ports!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

YES, California will be a national security risk for the entire country!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Africa, Asia, and the Middle East are moving forward with new refineries to meet worldwide demands. New refinery units are planned or announced, mostly in poorer developing countries, to process crude oil into the products and fuels demanded by those living on this planet, to begin operations worldwide by 2030. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Approximately 181 new oil refinery projects are planned or announced to commence operations in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East between 2024 and 2030, with Africa leading with roughly 70\u201389 projects, followed by Asia and the Middle East. These regions are driving global capacity growth, with significant investments aimed at meeting rising demand, shifting away from aging, less efficient facilities in other parts of the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

California policymakers seem to be unaware that other more business-friendly States may be a better business decision for in-state manufacturers, and that Africa, Asia, and the Middle East are savoring the future with their many refineries coming online to meet the supply chain of products and transportation fuel DEMANDS of California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, the proposed CARB regulation changes will cripple the survivability of the State\u2019s remaining refineries, which will result in California losing the entire refining industry to this misguided CARB program.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please share this information with teachers, students, and friends to encourage Energy Literacy conversations at the family dinner table.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

America\u2019s economy and national security are heavily reliant on California, the 4th largest economy in the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":432034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691841919,691818068,691841922,691822760,691841921,691834980,691821105,691841920],"class_list":{"0":"post-432033","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-energy-island","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-carb","11":"tag-crude-oil","12":"tag-geopolitical-risk","13":"tag-industry","14":"tag-national-security","15":"tag-refineries-supply","17":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0-New-energy-policies-in-California-threatening-Americas-national-security.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1Ooh","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":287479,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=287479","url_meta":{"origin":432033,"position":0},"title":"California Continues to be a National Security Risk for America.","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/10\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Governor Newsom directives increase California\u2019s dependency on foreign crude oil to support the State\u2019s international and military airports, and shipping terminals. 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