A group of Republican Representatives from California have called upon the Newsom administration to address their concerns over the state’s future energy security. In light of the governor’s fossil fuel “shut down” agenda, members of Congress are beginning to develop concerns about the state’s refining capacity, impacts on gas prices, and issues like national security. California is home to over two dozen critically important federal military installations that require massive amounts of petroleum and petroleum byproducts to remain “mission ready.”
Congressman David Valadao (R-Hanford) led the effort to gather signatures for this letter to Governor Newsom. Cosigners include Representatives Ken Calvert, John Duarte, Vince Fong, Young Kim, and Jay Obernolte.
The letter can be summed up in this portion: “Vastly reducing California's energy production without a stable electrical grid in place…will significantly impact small businesses, our military and our low-income residents the most.”
While progressive Democrats in California want to ban all oil production in the state, moderate Democrats and Republicans are balking at policies that seem to prematurely halt oil production in California, thus becoming 100 percent dependent upon foreign countries shipping oil into California’s already clogged ports.
As California protects America’s left flank and is the 6th largest economy in the world, the state is messaging that its desire to be 100 percent dependent upon foreign oil by mid-century. Yet, there is currently no substitute for the tens of thousands of critical uses of oil in both civilian and military circumstances alike. And this does not consider petroleum byproducts used in every healthcare facility in the state. Without oil, there is no modern health care.
The Bakersfield Californian article points out, “The greatest urgency in Monday's letter regarded potential impacts to the 25 active military installations in California spanning all branches of the U.S. military. The congressmen referred to a ‘clear threat to our national security on the West Coast’ if Newsom's phase-out of fossil fuel production reduces the local fuel supply in a state with limited capacity for importing refined fuels from other U.S. states.”
The administration responded via email through spokesperson Alex Stack: “These Republicans will say anything for their Big Oil donors, but they should do their own research first — California gas prices are the lowest in three years and our new price gouging accountability measures will help save money at the pump."
Stack added, “At the same time, the Department of Defense has elevated climate change as a national security priority and outlined the strategic need for clean energy — both of which California is leading on and providing the innovations that our military partners will utilize for our country’s national security.”
The administration spokesperson’s response ignores the numerous valid questions posed by its Republican congressional authors. Solar panels are not powering battle ships or fighter jets. Wind energy is not powering main battle tanks and attack helicopters. While the Biden administration has called Climate Change a national security issue, it begs many questions related to operating a military without fossil fuels. There is no military without fossil fuels.
Hopefully this is the beginning of a policy conversation that will help guide and protect California, its residents and its military installations, and also keep gas prices down at the pump by using in-state oil production, which is cheaper and scientifically proven to be better for the environment and mitigating climate change than any production elsewhere in the world.
For more information, contact Sean Wallentine.