The lovely Leslie Eastman has spent years documenting California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s hatred of big oil.
I think I got all of them!
As you can see, California has lost a few oil companies due to California’s and Newsom’s crackdown.
Two weeks ago, Newsom proposed legislation to drill, baby, drill. From Bloomberg:
California Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing a bill to streamline permitting for new oil wells that environmental groups say would wipe out scrutiny of the industry.The bill would establish “plug-to-drill” permitting until 2036 where two wells would have to be plugged and abandoned before a new one is drilled. In addition, drillers no longer would need well approval from the Geologic Energy Management Division, known as CalGem, so long as certain conditions are met.
Of course, Newsom cast himself as a hero and not the problem.
“Refineries all across the globe are struggling,” said Newsom. “We’ve got some challenges, and so just require some new considerations.”
*massive eye roll*
You know, though, the legislation might not face much resistance from Democrats.
Yes, even Democrats and environmentalists know the war on Big Oil has come dangerously close to the point of no return:
The about-face is emblematic of Democrats’ course correction on cost-of-living issues in the wake of the presidential election — and provides a real-time demonstration of the political risks of pursuing an aggressive transition away from fossil fuels.“The reality is, if those refineries close and we have increased gas prices, it’s going to be a problem for everybody,” said Andrew Acosta, a veteran California Democratic campaign consultant. “Not just Gavin Newsom, but every Democrat running for office.”—Even some environmentalists are having second thoughts.“I think Democrats sort of failed to read the room, perhaps in a way that, unfortunately, Trump did,” said Katelyn Roedner Sutter, California director for the Environmental Defense Fund. “If we’re not acknowledging people’s day-to-day reality and the challenges they face, it’s really hard for them to care about the existential threat that is climate change.”
Kern County, which produces 80% of California’s oil, showed enthusiasm for the bill. The Board of Supervisors already voted “to continue oil production in unincorporated areas of Kern County, approving the oil permitting ordinance.”
The move could produce up to 2,000 permits.
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