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California Governor Newsom has positioned the state to be a national security risk for the entire USA

By Ronald Stein - posted Tuesday, 25 February 2025


California is home to 9 International airports, 41 Military airports, 3 of the largest shipping ports in America, as well as more than 30 million registered vehicles, all of which cannot operate without imported foreign oil from other nationslike Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Iraq, Columbia, and Russia. Thus, Californiais a serious national security risk for America.

In his nearly six years in office, Governor Newsom has aggressively moved to shut down oil production in California. Statewide production has fallen by more than one-third under his watch.

Because California is an isolated energy island market with no incoming oil pipeline connections from other states, Newsom's shutdown agenda has increased dependence on waterborne crude importssourced primarily from foreign countries like Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Iraq, Columbia, and Russia.

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The West Coast gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuels market is isolated from other supply/demand centers as California is an energy island isolated from the States East of the Sierra Mountains. The Sierra Mountains are a natural barrier that prevents the state from pipeline access to any of that excess oil from fracking. As such, the West Coast is susceptible to unexpected outages of West Coast refineries as it is unable to backfill an unexpected loss in supply by quickly supplying additional products from outside of the region.

Newsom's policies continue to force California, the 5th largest economy in the world, to be the only state in contiguous America that imports most of its crude oil demands from foreign countries. That dependence has increased imported crude oil from foreign countries from 5 percent in 1992 to 60 percent today of total consumption.

Newsom's administration policies and combative approach have led California to a precarious position as the world's fifth largest economy now exists in a perpetual supply crunch for crude oil, aviation, gasoline, and diesel fuels, leading to high costs, price volatility, and an increased risk of shortages.

California's aggressive shift towards unreliable solar and wind for electricity, coupled with its move away from fossil fuels, has made the state more vulnerable to fuel shortages and blackouts. This not only affects the daily lives of Californians but also impacts critical infrastructure and industries that are essential for national security.

California uses 1.45 million barrels of oil each day, or well over 520 million barrels of oil per year, for the aviation, gasoline, and diesel fuels manufactured from crude oil, as well as the oil derivatives manufactured from oil that are the basis of more than 6,000 products in our society.

California transportation fuel demands have staggering numbers:

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California continues to reduce in-state oil production, which grows its dependency on other nations for crude oil for its shrinking in-state refinery capabilities to meet the in-state demands for aviation and vehicle transportation fuels. With a reduction of California refinery capabilities, the State is heading in the direction of growing its importation of manufactured aviation fuels, diesel, and gasoline, and for the oil derivatives that are the basis of virtually every one of the more than 6,000 products in our society.

Governor Newsom continues his personal mission to have renewables of wind turbines and solar panels to replace fossil fuels. Newsom remains oblivious to the fact that renewables ONLY generate electricity, as they are incapable of making any products or manufacturing any aviation, gasoline, or diesel fuels, or making any of the oil derivatives that are the basis of virtually all the products being used by humanity.

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About the Author

Ronald Stein is co-author of the Pulitzer Prize nominated book Clean Energy Exploitations. He is a policy advisor on energy literacy for the Heartland Institute, and the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, and a national TV commentator on energy & infrastructure with Rick Amato.

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