Californians for Energy & Science

?? ???? Excited to share this insightful message from Steve Hilton, who spoke with State Senator Shannon Grove at the CA4ES meeting in Taft last September. Steve delivered a powerful talking point on the critical role of local energy production in strengthening California's economy, ensuring energy independence, and promoting environmental responsibility. Don’t miss this important message! #CA4ES #California #Oil #Energy #Environment #BuyLocal

Who would like to see a short documentary on solar projects financed by oil and gas operators in California? This is a timely topic with new Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) amendments coming in 2025. We expect LCFS to be in the news next year. It will be a great opportunity to educate the people of California.

OilPrice.com reports gasoline prices are under $3 per gallon in 28 states and the national average will soon drop below $3 just in time for Thanksgiving travel. Why is gasoline $4.50 in California while the rest of the country enjoys a reprieve from high gasoline prices? The answer is simple, Sacramento’s gasoline taxes and climate fees now exceed $1.30 per gallon. These fees are set to rise another $0.40-0.70 per gallon in 2025. https://lnkd.in/gxvr4KjB Californians will NEVER AGAIN see gasoline priced below $4 per gallon and soon this price floor will be set at $5 per gallon. #California #Taxes #Climate #Gasoline https://lnkd.in/gCN_QMXz

Brace for Impact: California Gas Prices to Increase in 2025 ???? “The recent 2024 legislative and regulatory actions taken by California could result in a cumulative increase in the price of regular grade gasoline for the California consumer of $0.55 to $0.898 a gallon in 2025. For premium grades, the estimated range of increase could be $0.95 to $1.15 a gallon. And that does not include any increases in crude oil prices and the price of wholesale gasoline. Based on the average number of miles driven in California of 12,5249 and California’s average miles per gallon of 31 mpg, California regulatory and legislative actions could conservatively cost the California consumer an extra $222.00 to $449.00 a year for regular grade fuel, more for premium. To compensate for the expected increases in retail gasoline prices, the average Californian driving an internal combustion vehicle will have to earn an additional $600.00 to $1,000.00 a year in pre-tax income to “break even” with 2024 prices, depending on the grade of gas they purchase.” #California #Gas #LCFS https://lnkd.in/g6UY4rqB

??NEWSOM RAISES GAS PRICES AGAIN ?? Excerpt from WSJ today… “California Gov. Gavin Newsom last Friday pledged to lead the resistance to a second Trump Administration. Also on Friday his regulators resisted the President-elect’s plans to lower energy costs by raising the state’s gasoline prices. Take that, Trump voters. A mere three days after the election, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted to further squeeze its low-carbon fuel standard by 30% by 2030. The program requires refiners to reduce the “carbon intensity” of their fuel or buy credits from renewable producers. This is a de facto carbon tax that indirectly subsidizes politically favored businesses. Here’s how it works. Under the program, electric utilities, biofuel producers, and hydrogen and electric vehicle charging companies receive credits they can sell to refiners. Utilities steer the proceeds from the credit sales to EV subsidies. One of the program’s biggest beneficiaries has been dairy farms that capture methane from manure. Some make more money from selling credits than milk. However, credit prices have recently fallen as more renewable producers and dairy farms chase subsidies. CARB frets that declining credit prices could make green investments uneconomic, so CARB is tightening its fuel standard to boost credit prices. The predictable result: Californians will pay more at the pump. CARB last autumn predicted that its stricter standard would increase gas prices by 47 cents a gallon next year. Danny Cullenward of the University of Pennsylvania’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy estimated prices could climb 65 cents a gallon in the near term and by 85 cents by 2030. Californians will soon miss the days when gas cost $4.50 a gallon. Regulators played down concerns that tightening the fuel standard would hurt low-income residents. According to CARB, they could “avoid the potential pass-through cost” of the regulation by buying EVs. This is typical of the thinking of Sacramento progressives. Many low-income households can’t afford any new car at today’s interest rates, let alone EVs. “CARB risks underestimating the hardship stricter targets could impose on communities already facing high living costs,” board member Dean Florez, a former Democratic state Senator, argued in dissent. “For Californians already stretched thin by escalating rents and inflation, these additional costs could become overwhelming, pushing many into deeper financial insecurity.” You’d think Sacramento progressives might reconsider the impact of their policies after the election results, but apparently not. They may not even mind if gas prices rise since the climate lobby has been fretting that the state’s surge in electric rates—also fueled by its climate policies—are making EVs less attractive.” #Newsom #Gasoline #Taxes #California

California Air Resources Board votes 12-2 to approve LCFS amendments. Gasoline is about to be even more expensive in California. #Gasoline #California #Climate change

As an upstream energy company with primary operations in California's San Joaquin Basin in Kern County and Utah's Uintah Basin, Berry Corporation is proud to share the following video. The video highlights the critical role the oil and gas industry will continue to play even as we look to explore ways to provide energy in a more sustainable manner, while continuing to support economic growth and meet our energy needs today and for decades to come.

?? Supporting Our Local Communities Through Local Industry ?? Proud to share a powerful message from Emmanuel Campos, a dedicated business owner in Taft, California. In this video, Emmanuel highlights how the local oil and gas industry has provided not just jobs, but a strong livelihood for countless families, especially within the Latino community. Generations have built their lives in Taft, supported by well-paying jobs that allow them to invest back into the very neighborhoods they call home. For decades, Kern County’s oil and gas industry has created opportunities and pathways to financial stability, empowering individuals and strengthening our community. Now these crucial jobs are increasingly at risk as we see a shift in support toward foreign oil production from Sacramento. This shift doesn’t just impact the economy; it threatens the lifeblood of families who have relied on this work for a better life. Supporting local energy production means supporting our local families and preserving jobs that have fueled dreams and growth for years. Let’s work together to keep our communities strong and resilient, investing in the people who invest in our future every single day. ?? #SupportLocalIndustry #KernCountyPride #LatinoCommunity #OilAndGas #LocalJobs

The WSJ Editorial Board writes, electric rates in California have risen on average by 57% in the last five years, more than twice as much as nationwide. Enter Gov Gavin Newsom, who recently issued an executive order to ensure “electric service remains affordable, reliable, and safe for all Californians during our clean energy transition." Newsom concedes in his order an important point... “Californians' electric rate increases have been driven largely by the cost of some programs added over time, such as the subsidy provided through the legacy Net Energy Metering program for rooftop solar photovoltaic systems." California's net-metering program pays utility customers with rooftop solar panels for excess power they generate and remit to the grid at retail rates, which are two to three times as high as the wholesale cost of power. The average utility customer without rooftop solar pays 10% to 20% of his electric bill to subsidize rooftop solar customers. Newsom also singles out wildfire mitigation as a cost-driver. But other Western states must protect their grids from the same danger, and their electric rates are less than half of the Golden State's. What's the matter with California? Its aggressive renewables mandate, which requires utilities to procure solar and battery power at higher cost. California's cap-and-trade program also requires natural gas-fired plants to pay for CO2 emissions permits. The PUC says the program raises electric rates, though customers receive biannual “climate credits" on their bills to offset some of the program's cost—in April (when taxes are due) and October (before elections). Newsom now wants his energy commission to identify programs and regulations “that may be unduly adding to rates, for which the electricity system benefits may not be justified by the costs." This applies to all of the state's climate mandates and programs. Unwilling to renounce climate religion, he directs his regulators “to pursue any federal funding available to help lower electricity costs for Californians." That sounds like he wants people in states with more sensible energy policies to subsidize progressive lunacy. That's what the Biden FERCis trying to do via a regulatory back door. To Sum It Up: Americans stung by surging electric rates these past few years, look out. It can always get worse. Our Take 1: There's a real lesson here concerning the mentality of the leadership in America these days—that is, mistakes are rarely acknowledged, often spun as bad luck or someone else's faults, swept under the rug, or cause for calls for bailouts from the federal gov't. California, a bastion of bad policy, has them all. Our Take 2: What a sorry state California finds itself in these days... made worse by the fact that the public for too long has tolerated public officials playing politics with an energy system that they neither understand nor appreciate. ???????? #energy #california #renewables

EXXON AND CHEVRON PROFITS HIT BY LOWER ENERGY PRICES ?? Sacramento’s fugazi marketing campaign which blames “Big Oil” for high gasoline prices is unraveling in real time. Today’s Wall Street Journal reports, “Exxon Mobil and Chevron posted lower third-quarter profits Friday as energy prices sank and fuel-making margins narrowed.” When we step away from Sacramento’s “Big Oil” circus tent, we find crisp economic analysis from WSJ. Chevron CEO, Mike Wirth explained, “The market looks like it’s going to be well-supplied. We’re prepared to compete in any price environment and a downcycle would not be a surprise.” The economic drivers include slackened demand from China, record crude production from U.S., OPEC members pumping more than their oil quotas allow, and increased production from Canada, Brazil, and Guyana (all major suppliers to the California market). Meanwhile, the price at the pump for Californians remains about $4.45 per gallon versus the national average of $3.12 per gallon. This difference of $1.33 per gallon is nearly the exact amount of California’s state sales tax ($0.11), state excise tax ($0.60), and environmental program fees ($0.55) per gallon - total of $1.26 per gallon. Refinery costs and profits are reported to be just $0.58 per gallon, which means Sacramento’s profits per gallon are more than double that of the refineries! We expect California’s gasoline prices to remain high due to the fact that state taxes and climate fees are fixed charges per barrel. Sadly, as the rest of America benefits from unleashed domestic energy production, California’s production remains trapped by a political shutdown, leaving consumers no choice but to pay the highest prices in the country. #Economics #Supply #Demand #Taxes #California Sources: https://lnkd.in/dXRrmUYd https://lnkd.in/gxvr4KjB