When California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom traveled to Brazil in mid-November to tout his failed energy agenda, the reality at home is unavoidable: Because of his policies, Californians are paying some of the highest gas and electricity prices in the country. We are being crushed by the Newsom energy affordability crisis – and it is crippling our national security.
Since 2018, more than 360 energy companies have left California due to the state’s grueling regulations, and new oil drilling permits have fallen 95% since Newsom took office in 2019.
As a result, California has produced nearly 128,000 fewer barrels of oil per day over the past five years, despite having the fifth-largest oil reserves in the country. The undeniable consequence of Newsom’s refusal to support domestic production is increased dependence on foreign oil.
In 1982, less than 6% of California’s crude oil came from outside the United States. Today, that number has skyrocketed to more than 60%, according to Newsom’s own California Energy Commission. Brazil now accounts for 20% of our imported supply and 21% comes from Iraq.
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Governor Gavin Newsom at a signing event on August 21, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, California’s refining capacity continues to collapse.
The state is expected to lose nearly 20% of its remaining refining capacity by early 2026, and without urgent action, power outages, price spikes and fuel shortages will become the new normal – not just for Californians, but for millions across the West Coast who rely on our energy supply.
This drastically impacts the viability of California’s pipelines, most of which require 90,000 barrels per day to remain financially solvent and operational. However, shortages mean they are barely running at 50,000 barrels per day, causing operators to incur $2 million in losses every month.
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Currently, Crimson Midstream, the operator of the largest crude oil pipeline network in California, cannot continue operations due to Sacramento’s incompetence. California Democrats’ war on domestic energy production has created so much uncertainty that the San Pablo Bay Pipeline is now at risk of being shut down in the new year, further destabilizing California’s fragile energy supply chain and endangering refinery capacity that is already hanging by a thread.
This disastrous policy has led to a man-made fuel shortage, exponentially increasing prices at the pump for working families and increasing gasoline imports. This will likely force California to buy refined gasoline from oil reserves off its coast, forcing the state to pay a higher price to buy back its own supplies.
But unaffordable prices aren’t the only consequence of Newsom’s war on oil. His created crisis also undermines our military preparedness.
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California is home to dozens of U.S. military installations in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. The brave men and women who serve on our bases can be deployed anywhere in the world in a matter of hours, but only if they have the fuel they need to accomplish their mission.
Military aircraft fuels are highly specialized and of the highest quality, which California refineries are equipped to process. In 2024, California military installations used approximately 10 million gallons of gasoline. The two most recent refinery closures are estimated to reduce jet fuel production by at least 600,000 liters per day.
The state is expected to lose nearly 20% of its remaining refining capacity by early 2026, and without urgent action, power outages, price spikes and fuel shortages will become the new normal – not just for Californians, but for millions across the West Coast who rely on our energy supply.
No amount of strategic, political headlines from Newsom can hide the threat his policies pose to our national security.
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One of the most pressing issues in Congress today is countering the growing threat from China, which requires us to strengthen our preparedness in the Indo-Pacific region. But instead of working across the aisle to address this threat and strengthen California’s role in our national security, Newsom has continued to deliberately reduce California’s refinery capacity and oil production in the state, weakening our defense position to appease his far-left base.
If California’s fuel network remains choked with a patchwork of underutilized pipelines and overburdened refineries without sufficient energy supplies to operate, the military fuel supply chain that supports the West Coast’s military operational capabilities will be harmed.
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Newsom’s progressive agenda and presidential ambitions have led him to ignore these hard facts. This is not only incompetent, but also irresponsible and dangerous.
To revive California’s energy future and deter our nation’s adversaries, our state must increase permitting tenfold, expand our drilling capacity, and reintroduce improved oil extraction methods. This is necessary to keep our pipelines operational while we work to expand our refining capabilities.
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Sacramento should work with us in Congress and with President Donald Trump to expand domestic energy production – a necessity to meet California’s growing energy needs and strengthen America’s national security. Instead, Newsom seems more interested in hindering these efforts than working with us to deliver affordable, reliable energy to Californians.
Newsom’s poor energy policies are the cause of California’s affordability crisis. The choice for Newsom is clear: continue down the path of scarcity and dependency, or reverse course with California’s energy producers to restore our state and country’s true energy independence. The future of California’s economy – and America’s national security – depends on it.
