Grove Urges Newsom to Declare Energy Emergency as Global Oil Disruptions Threaten California

State Senator Shannon Grove sent a blunt letter to Governor Gavin Newsom urging him to declare a state of emergency on energy production in California and take immediate action to protect consumers from what she describes as a rapidly worsening fuel supply crisis. In her March 10 letter, Grove warns that California’s heavy dependence on foreign crude, combined with rising geopolitical instability in the Middle East and mounting regulatory pressure on in-state energy producers and refiners, has left the state dangerously exposed to price spikes, shortages, and broader economic harm.

Grove’s letter lays out the case that California has made itself an “energy island” by undermining domestic production while growing increasingly reliant on imported crude delivered by tanker. She argues that this vulnerability is no longer theoretical. Citing supply disruptions tied to conflict involving Iran and the reported collapse in Iraqi production from southern oil fields, Grove warns that California families, businesses, farmers, and truckers could soon feel the consequences at the pump. Her message is clear: California cannot regulate its way out of a supply crisis while simultaneously pushing away the very in-state production and refining capacity that provide stability.

The senator also points to warnings from refinery operators that pending changes to the state’s Cap-and-Invest program could make continued in-state operations financially untenable. She urges the governor not only to suspend the proposed amendments, but to suspend the broader Cap-and-Invest scheme altogether, arguing that Sacramento’s regulatory agenda is driving California closer to an avoidable energy and affordability cliff. Grove further calls for suspension of California’s unique summer gasoline blend and for expedited permitting that would help unlock domestic production, including offshore opportunities, in order to restore supply security and market confidence.

Grove’s letter is a call for reality to reenter California energy policy. Her warning is one CIPA and others have been sounding for years: when California suppresses its own safe, climate-compliant oil production, it does not eliminate demand; it merely outsources it to foreign barrels, foreign tankers, and foreign instability. At a moment when global events are once again reminding everyone that energy security matters, Grove is pressing the governor to act with urgency before Californians pay the price for policy choices made much closer to home.