CIPA Kept Pressure on California Legislature to Back SB 237, Lower Gas Prices, Protect Jobs

Last week, while legislative language was still being finalized, California Independent Petroleum Association CEO Rock Zierman issued two reminders to the press and lawmakers about the critical importance of California’s domestic oil production.

The California State Legislature has taken a long-overdue step in recognizing the role of local oil in lowering costs and protecting jobs. With amendments to Senate Bill 237, lawmakers showed commitment to streamlining permitting and helping Californians meet more of their own energy needs with oil produced by California workers, under California’s labor, health, and environmental laws.

In the release, Zierman noted that for too long, state policies have forced California to spend $25 billion every year importing oil from countries that flout our environmental standards, human rights, and labor protections. SB 237 is a step toward reversing that dependency and powering California with California energy.

“Letting Californians produce more oil here at home is a win for our workers, our environment, and our economy,” said Zierman. Every barrel produced in California means fewer foreign tankers idling off our coast, lower gasoline prices, and more money staying in our communities to fund schools, first responders, and healthcare.

Zierman also authored an op-ed in the Bakersfield Californian last week,

titled “Sacramento’s Energy Policy Was a Blueprint for Disaster, And Now We’re Living It.” The piece highlighted the urgent challenges facing California’s energy supply, as refinery closures accelerate and state leaders remain stalled on solutions.

A few key excerpts:

• “This is no longer a warning. It’s a five-alarm fire. And with less than a week left in the legislative session, Sacramento must act.”

• “The state spends $25 billion each year importing oil from countries with little to no labor or environmental protections. Californians are not paying more because of scarcity, but because Sacramento refuses to allow responsible production here at home.”

• “It’s not as if the state is denying permits outright; it just isn’t processing them. That slow-walk has caused production in California to collapse, while imports from foreign countries have risen in equal measure.”

• One of the “solutions is sitting on Sacramento’s desk: approve Kern County’s Oil and Gas Ordinance and Environmental Impact Report. After a decade of review, litigation, and scientific analysis, it is the most comprehensive EIR in the state.”

  
  

Zierman's message is clear: California has the resources, the workforce, and the safeguards to meet its own energy needs. What has been missing is the political will to process permits, keep our industry working, and let the last barrel Californians use come from California.