California’s oil industry – California Globe

Ringside: The Best Way to Eliminate Methane Leaks is to Drill

June 25, 2026 6:30 amJune 25, 2026 6:31 am

California’s oil industry has been active for well over a century, and Los Angeles was always at the heart of it. By 1894, about 80 wells were already producing oil in the city, setting off a boom that peaked in the 1970s...

Ringside: Californians Will Consume AT LEAST Another Five Billion Barrels of Crude Oil

June 4, 2026 6:00 amJune 4, 2026 6:01 am

There is no realistic scenario imaginable that does not include Californians consuming at least another five billion barrels of oil before the state achieves its much touted official goal of a “clean energy future.” Here are the numbers: In 2025...

Ringside: Can Oil Industry Lawsuits Compel Rational Energy Policy?

May 7, 2026 7:00 amMay 7, 2026 7:01 am

When asked in a recent interview why California has the highest gasoline prices in the nation, Jodie Muller, the President of the Western States Petroleum Association, began by stating the following: “You can’t point a finger at one particular person, because,...

California’s Higher Gas Prices Are a Policy Choice, Not an Accident

January 7, 2026 2:55 amJanuary 7, 2026 8:29 am

Before the end of the year, the California Independent Petroleum Association sent a blunt message to the California Energy Commission: California’s oil industry is approaching a breaking point, and state inaction risks higher gas prices, supply disruptions, and deeper economic...

Ringside: Tips to Understand California’s Energy Economy

September 11, 2025 2:45 amSeptember 11, 2025 2:46 am

Last month, for the uninitiated, we devoted a newsletter to the topic “Tips to Understand Our Convoluted Yet Obligatory Units of Water.” It attempted to summarize some essential facts and relevant units for anyone who wants to monitor state water...

California’s False Promise of a ‘Just Transition’

August 18, 2025 3:00 amAugust 18, 2025 4:05 pm

I grew up in a union household. My father was a Teamster who worked in the downtown Los Angeles produce markets for 41 years, alongside many coworkers who barely had a high school diploma. We were a blue-collar family, and...

Ringside: California’s Indispensable Heavy Oil

June 5, 2025 3:10 amJune 5, 2025 3:11 am

The moral argument for resuming oil drilling in California is simple: the state still relies on petroleum for fifty percent of its annual energy inputs, and until we can overcome that reliance, we should be producing it here, where it’s subject...