By: Hector Barajas

 

Professor Deborah Sivas’s article is another example of activists with academic titles telling only half the story and misleading Californians in the process. These half-truths don’t just distort the facts. They drive up our cost of living, burden working families, and put communities at risk.

Yes, gasoline demand has declined. But petroleum use has not. Oil is far more than just fuel. It’s the foundation for over 6,000 products we use every day, from medical supplies to smartphones, from jet fuel to the asphalt beneath our feet and tires.

Even the electric vehicles that Professor Sivas celebrates depend on petroleum. Tires, plastics, and essential components are all oil-based. If oil demand were truly collapsing, companies wouldn’t be seeking permits for new wells or upgrading existing ones – “1,400 permit applications for new wells awaiting CalGEM approval.” The facts don’t lie.

She also overlooks the largest source of pollution in our port communities: the port traffic itself. When California cuts local production, we don’t use less oil. We just import more. Today, over 78 percent of the oil we consume comes from abroad, often from countries with little to no environmental, labor, or health standards. California now imports more oil from the Amazon rainforest than it produces at home. How can anyone argue that it is better for the environment?

Professor Sivas ignores the reality that California oil production is among the most tightly regulated in the world. More than 25 different agencies oversee every barrel produced here. Every emission is tracked. Imported oil, on the other hand, bypasses all of California’s environmental scrutiny. It’s not just unaccountable — it’s invisible.

She claims refining is in decline, but doesn’t explain why petroleum use in the state is actually higher than it was 10 years ago, or even compared to the year 2000. Meanwhile, every imported barrel comes with a $5 to $7 surcharge. That cost gets passed directly to drivers. It’s one reason why Californians consistently pay the highest gas prices in the nation.

This narrative, dressed up in academic credentials but stripped of real-world context, does a disservice to the people of California. We need the full picture. Producing energy here at home is cleaner, safer, and smarter for our environment, our economy, and our energy security. Pretending otherwise only makes life more expensive and less stable for everyone.

Californians deserve more than selective arguments and imported hypocrisy.

 

Disclaimer: The California Independent Petroleum Association is one of my clients. Through my work, I’ve gotten to know many of California’s energy producers and oil workers. For tens of thousands of people and families, this industry has provided a way out of poverty and into stability. I’ve seen how these jobs give people, including those with criminal records, a second chance and real opportunities to rebuild their lives. To gain a better perspective, read this article: https://patch.com/california/sacramento/california-s-false-promise-just-transition-nodx

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https://calmatters.org/commentary/2025/09/oil-drilling-california-gas-prices/

Why fast-tracking oil drilling in California won’t lower prices at the pump

 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2025

By: Professor Deborah Sivas

 

California’s demand for gasoline has fallen steadily over the last two decades as state consumers shift to cleaner electric and hybrid vehicles.

What’s giving some state policymakers heartburn is the fact that falling demand for gasoline means declining demand for in-state petroleum refining. In response, some California refineries have begun consolidating, converting or closing.

Though this is good news for nearby communities burdened by refinery pollution, state officials worry refining capacity could fall faster than gasoline consumption, driving up pump prices as short-term demand exceeds supply.

The oil industry has stoked this fear and proposed a dangerous solution: Exempt all new oil and gas drilling from the California Environmental Quality Act, colloquially known as CEQA (pronounced see-kwah). The industry aggressively pushed state legislation for that. What legislators passed last week, Senate Bill 237, didn’t go that far but aims to make it easier to expand drilling in oil-rich Kern County.

Still, the same issues arise from this exemption. Fast-tracking new oil drilling permits will do nothing to affect pump prices.

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Deborah Sivas is a professor who teaches environmental law and environmental social science at Stanford University.