Fong OpEd: Declining Energy, Rising Risk: California’s Threat to Economic Stability and Military Readiness

Congressman Vince Fong wrote an op-ed for Fox News that describes California’s current energy policy framework as an urgent threat to economic stability, infrastructure reliability, and national defense readiness. The argument is based on data showing a continued decline in domestic energy production.

New drilling permits declined by roughly 95 percent after 2019, corresponding with a loss of approximately 128,000 barrels of in-state oil production per day over five years.

Out-of-country crude once accounted for less than 6 percent of California’s supply in 1982; today it exceeds 78 percent. Fong warns that this erosion increases exposure to fuel shortages, price shocks, and grid failure, including potential blackouts, which can be linked to declining refinery production that removes fuel processing capacity vital to West Coast markets and the state’s electrical grid reliability.

The op-ed highlights pipeline insolvency as a key near-term concern. California’s pipeline economics have historically needed minimum daily shipment volumes of about 90,000 barrels to stay operational. Currently, throughput is closer to 50,000 barrels, leading to unsustainable losses for operators estimated at around $2 million each month, or $24 million annually.

A major component ties energy contraction to defense logistics. California hosts dozens of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command installations supported by refineries that produce specialized military aviation fuels. In 2024 alone, California’s bases consumed roughly 10 million gallons of gasoline. Recent refinery closures are expected to decrease jet fuel production by at least 600,000 gallons per day, undermining the state’s ability to meet high-grade military fuel specifications required for rapid deployment in the Indo-Pacific.