CROWN and CIPA Warn Lawmakers to Protect Local Jobs, Reduce Foreign Oil Dependence

Last week, the California State Assembly’s Natural Resources, Transportation, Utilities, and Energy Committee held a hearing on California’s Energy Transition, featuring various industry groups, associations, and individuals who spoke out against the dismantling of local energy production and the increasing reliance on foreign oil.  CROWN member Jorge Torres and CIPA Vice President of Government Affairs Sean Wallentine both provided testimony at the hearing.

Torres highlighted that California’s oil & gas workers follow the world’s strictest standards, providing clean, safe, and reliable energy daily. Policymakers must protect this industry and reduce dependence on foreign oil. He emphasized keeping it local and producing it here in California.

Wallentine pointed out that California oil production has been reduced by half, from 500,000 barrels per day in 2019 to less than 250,000 today. This isn’t a resource issue; it’s a policy crisis. Every day we don’t produce here, Californians pay more at the pump, and our dependence on foreign oil increases. Lawmakers need to act now.

CROWN, the CalifoRnia Oil Workers’ Network, is a sub-committee of CIPA. To learn more about CROWN, visit their website: www.californiaoilworkersnetwork.org.