Leavitt & Burgum Call California a “National Security Risk”
- Dec 15, 2025
- 3 min read
On Friday, December 12, 2025, both Secretary Doug Burgum and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to X and called California’s energy policy a “National Security Risk.”
These tweets and Secretary Burgum’s appearance on Fox News are not random. They are deliberate, and they will lead to action.
Secretary Burgum, along with Energy Secretary Chris Wright, co-chair the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) whose staff is housed at the White House and is tasked with coordinating federal energy policy to maximize domestic production.
CIPA CEO Rock Zierman has visited the NEDC twice at the White House and several more times via Zoom regarding California’s reliance on foreign oil and the economic and national security threats this poses. Furthermore, the California Congressional delegation, led by Congressmen Vince Fong and Tom McClintock, has briefed both secretaries on this issue using CIPA talking points. These efforts are clearly gaining traction.
Zierman has stated that ‘California is one decision away from losing the refinery and pipeline backbone that keeps fuel flowing across the state. If the state permits dismantling the Valero Benicia refinery and shutting down the San Pablo Bay Pipeline, the damage will be permanent and irreversible.’
If the San Pablo Bay Pipeline fails, Northern California refiners won't be able to access California crude, and the state will be forced to rely on trucking, rail, or tankers. These options are more expensive, less reliable, and could significantly increase pollution.
Below are the X.com posts and an excerpt from the Fox News article about the Burgum interview:
— it's time to Drill, Baby, Drill! - Secretary Burgum
-----
Fox News: Burgum calls California a ‘national security risk’ as Energy chief warns blue states are skewing cost averages
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum claims California’s dependence on foreign oil is a "national security risk," arguing that restrictive blue state energy policies are undermining U.S. energy dominance.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Burgum contrasted energy policies in places like Pennsylvania and Alaska, where he and Energy Secretary Chris Wright recently toured the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as it was primed for expanded resource development with more restrictive states like California shutting down refineries.
Soon after taking office, President Donald Trump announced a pivot toward utilizing America’s natural resources to power the U.S. economy and its energy grid rather than making public lands "reserves" where nothing can touch them.
"Natural gas in Pennsylvania is going to be [about] $1 in the summer; it might be $2 in the winter … but it’ll be $12 in New England because New England isn’t getting their gas from Pennsylvania. They blocked the pipelines from Pennsylvania," Burgum said.
New England hit a cold snap in 2018 and had to import natural gas from Russia in part due to such conditions.
"So they, like California, will be importing foreign sources of energy into New England," Burgum said.
"California is the national security risk. They're getting 60%-plus … of oil in California imported from foreign countries. Iraq's at the top of the list.
They're shipping it from halfway around the world to run the largest fleet of internal combustion cars in the country in California.”
"So, stay tuned. There's gonna be gasoline coming from foreign countries into California to run their cars. They've got almost double the price for gasoline right now today that you'd find in Houston or Oklahoma or in North Dakota.
"Policies are driving pricing. Politicians drive policies. President Trump is bringing down prices for Americans."