Overview
- The state’s energy chief told lawmakers the last tanker that cleared the Strait of Hormuz is unloading in Long Beach and that fuel supplies look adequate for roughly six weeks, with no clear date for the next shipment.
- California’s average price sits near $6.11–$6.13 a gallon, about $1.50–$2 above the U.S. average, and experts said prices could rise by another $1–$2 if Middle East flows stay cut off.
- Two recent shutdowns — Phillips 66 in Wilmington and Valero in Benicia — removed about 17–20% of the state’s refining capacity, leaving a thinner buffer when global supplies tighten.
- The Department of Energy labeled California’s import dependence a national security risk and is pressing to restart Sable Offshore’s pipeline, which the state has stalled through a court injunction and an $18 million fine.
- California now imports about 61% of its crude and functions as an oil island with few pipeline links and a unique gasoline blend, which slows replacement shipments and can magnify price spikes for drivers.