California is aggressively promoting its fossil fuel industry, but while those efforts are hurting the state's economy, they don't seem to have a significant impact on climate change.

While U.S. oil production is at record levels, the state's long-term and ongoing efforts to undermine energy production within its borders have resulted in fossil fuel production and the jobs associated with its production. Far from being reduced, it has actually been relocated to other states and regions of the world. . California's anti-fossil fuel push hasn't led to much change on climate change either. Climate change is accelerating at a dangerous pace, alarmists continue to argue, but Californians' energy costs are rising, the power grid is becoming less reliable, and business investment is being discouraged. This is the result. Jobs in the state are declining, energy policy experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

In the first week of 2024, California-based oil giant Chevron announced it would write down its existing interests in California by more than $4 billion, a move largely driven by the state's burdensome environmental regulatory structure. It is. ExxonMobil, America's largest oil company, announced On Friday, the company announced it was also writing down assets in California, also citing regulatory challenges in the state.

While both companies are evaluating the value of their California operations, they are undertaking extensive efforts to expand the scope and size of their interests in states suitable for energy production, particularly Texas. Chevron and Exxon Mobil acquired Hess and Pioneer Resources, respectively, in late 2023. Although the deal has not yet been finalized, Hess and Pioneer each have sizable portfolios in Texas' Permian Basin, making each smaller company an attractive acquisition target for a larger competitor. (Related: California tells residents not to charge EVs due to power outages, one week after state announces ban on sales of gasoline-powered vehicles)

'The big problem': How Newsom's California is destroying America's auto industry https://t.co/8zEJFFsnWh

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 15, 2023

Meanwhile, the United States is producing about 13.2 million barrels of crude oil per day, a record high. according to to Forbes.

“For more than two decades now, politicians like Governor Newsom have been slamming California's traditional energy producers, large and small, with excessive taxes, regulations, and profit-taking threats… “We don't have the luxury of looking at the type of debt that is being imposed on the industry,” Tom Pyle, chairman of the American Energy Alliance, told DCNF. Told. “As a result of these and other harmful policies, such as rate-of-profit caps, that make traditional energy investments uneconomic and harm consumers, many companies have already moved out of state, along with hundreds of thousands of residents. These types of policies outsource jobs to other states and increase California's dependence on imported oil and electricity, all of which provide little or no environmental benefit. yeah.”

California's local oil and gas production generates approximately 50,000 jobs across the state, including in the San Joaquin Valley, a region that is generally less economically successful than other regions of the state. It also includes 31,000 jobs. according to For Californians seeking energy independence.

California will be one of the nation's leading states in oil production in 2022, with its operators pumping more than 124 million barrels of oil that year. according to Based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The state has seen a nearly 30% decline in local oil and gas production over the past four years. according to EIA data, energy independence trends for Californians attribute The main purpose is to “shut down production due to state and local energy policies.”

The state is widely considered to be on the cutting edge. climate change policy, according to To the state line. Moving away from regulations focused on oil and gas production, the state has pushed for aggressive regulation of electric cars and trucks, and has intentionally challenged Chevron and other oil majors to educate the public about the nature of climate change. filed a climate change lawsuit for trying to mislead; enacted Groundbreaking corporate emissions disclosure requirements.

Regarding lawsuits against major oil companies, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has made publicly hostile comments about the defendants. painting they are liars.

“The state has deep, well-understood oil and natural gas reserves, and Democratic policies have made production uneconomic. “We destroyed tens of thousands of good-paying jobs that would have been there in order to take advantage of the oil and gas industry,” said David, a 40-year veteran of the oil and gas industry who now does consulting. Blackmon says. He told DCNF that he writes regularly about the energy industry. “The biggest irony in all of this, of course, is that Newsom has created a situation in which he is importing most of his oil from Venezuela, the basket case of the country's economy, to meet consumption needs that are easily supplied by domestic industry. “They would be happy if they were given access to California's unique oil and gas resources.”

Californians currently pay an average price of about $4.70 per gallon of gas at a filling station, the highest price in the country. according to Convert to AAA data. By comparison, the national average is currently about $3.09 per gallon.

In addition to rising energy production and fuel prices, residential ratepayers in the state faced the second-highest average retail electricity rates in the nation as of October 2023. according to Applies to the latest monthly data published by the EIA.

“Extreme events driven by climate change are leading to increased demand for electricity, putting power grids at risk of power outages in California and elsewhere. Events such as extreme heat and wildfires are occurring with increasing frequency and threatening the power grid. The intensity is increasing,” a California Energy Commission (CEC) spokesperson told DCNF. “Powering California's economy and building a reliable, safe, affordable, and clean power grid is the cornerstone of both our climate leadership and future economic planning. We are taking measures in this regard.”

Additionally, the state's power grid has been on the brink of blackouts in recent years, most notably in September 2022, and California's power grid operators have been forced to use late-afternoon and early evening hours to conserve energy for 10 straight days during the heatwave. Residents were urged to turn up their thermostats. It threatened the reliability of the grid.

“Reasonable people might expect state government to do everything it can to make life easier for its residents. Unfortunately, California government is doing the opposite.” Heritage Foundation Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Center for Energy, Climate and Environment, told DCNF. “According to the Census Bureau, this is one reason why 75,000 people left California in the past year.”

Electricity is a major issue in the state, and Newsom decided in August to refill the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility to protect against rising energy prices and power outages. Newsom previously made it a campaign promise to close the facility. That same month, the CEC voted against shutting down and keeping three fossil fuel-fired power plants in Southern California open to avoid power outages if necessary.

“Californians have a right to know when a statewide green agenda will begin to work. By “work,” we mean that both the reliability and overall costs of the electric grid will meet the promise of going green. It means when to reflect. “California's gas and electricity prices are the highest in the nation and continue to rise as the grid becomes increasingly unstable,” said Daniel Turner, executive director and founder of energy advocacy group Power the Future. he told DCNF. . “Governor Newsom and other green elected officials have promised that environmental efforts will be beneficial, but the result is more people fleeing the state, as hundreds of thousands of people have already done. It was only pain for the average Californian who couldn't do it… Whether “greening” was implemented and it benefited people is not Germany, California, or New York. ”

Mr. Newsom's office and the California Independent Management Company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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