Author: Edward Ring

Edward Ring is the director of water and energy policy for the California Policy Center, which he co-founded in 2013 and served as its first president. The California Policy Center is an educational non-profit focused on public policies that aim to improve California’s democracy and economy. He is also a senior fellow of the Center for American Greatness. Ring is the author of two books: "Fixing California - Abundance, Pragmatism, Optimism" (2021), and "The Abundance Choice - Our Fight for More Water in California" (2022).

Ringside: California’s Refinery Capacity Stretched to the Limit

April 10, 2025 2:57 amApril 10, 2025 2:58 am

According to the California Energy Commission, in 2024 daily oil consumption in California averaged not quite 1.4 million barrels per day. Meanwhile, daily refinery capacity in California is just over 1.6 million barrels per day. There is a 16 percent buffer between how...

Ringside: Fast-Track Dredging to Save the Delta

April 3, 2025 3:30 amApril 3, 2025 3:31 am

Governor Newsom’s priority constituency is now located outside of California and shaded purple, and a new team occupies the White House that is as red as red can be. So it is probably safe to say that even here in...

Ringside: Quantifying the Variables that Determine Our Prosperity

March 27, 2025 7:00 amMarch 27, 2025 7:18 am

It is nearly impossible to read a policy document on the topic of energy or water that won’t make frequent references to carbon. In California, the race to achieve a “carbon neutral” economy by 2045 has spawned a carbon accounting...

Ringside: Maximizing Home Protection Against Wildfires

March 22, 2025 8:23 amMarch 22, 2025 8:23 am

Nobody knew how the fire started. It took hold in the dry chaparral and grasslands and quickly spread up the sides of the canyon. Propelled by winds gusting over 40 miles per hour and extremely dry air, the fire spread...

Ringside: Ignoring Role of Bass in Salmon Decline is Negligence

March 20, 2025 2:55 amMarch 20, 2025 2:56 am

A March 5 “Perspective” in the Manteca Bulletin highlights a chronically underemphasized problem impacting every Californian. Bass, as editor Dennis Wyatt succinctly explains, are a “destructive, invasive species, that are a serious threat to the sustainability of the ecosystem.” Wyatt proposes a...

Ringside: How Californians Can Achieve Energy Abundance

March 16, 2025 10:57 amMarch 16, 2025 10:57 am

In May 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom released a report, “California’s Clean Energy Transition Plan,” which provides an updated overview of the state’s official energy policy agenda. The document sets many ambitious goals, perhaps too ambitious, and its summary presents ambiguous...

Ringside: Desalination at Scale is Cost Competitive

March 13, 2025 3:30 amMarch 13, 2025 3:31 am

On May 22, 2022, the California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to deny final approval for a desalination plant in Huntington Beach. It would have produced 56,000 acre feet of fresh water per year, and would have been privately financed. To...