(KMJ) – Nearly two dozen Republican and Democratic state lawmakers send a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom urging him to take advantage of California resources in the wake of soaring prices at the pump.
Here is the letter sent Monday to the Governor:
Dear Governor Newsom:
The images coming out of Ukraine are devastating, and we cannot ignore the fact that this war will negatively impact the everyday lives of Californians. An obvious outcome of this unprovoked aggression will be uncertainty in our state’s energy supply.
California is an “energy island;” we are disconnected from the other lower-47 states. Due to a lack of infrastructure and shipping costs, our state is extremely limited in its ability to import oil from other states that is needed to support energy needs for transportation, businesses, food production and everyday way of life.
With limited access to oil from the other 47 states, California imports 75% of its crude oil supplies. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, as of 2021, California imports 18% of its oil from Ecuador, 16% from Saudi Arabia and 15% from Iraq.
Unbeknownst to many Californians, the state also imports 6% of its crude oil from Russia. That translates to 18,347,000 barrels of oil that were shipped to us in 2021. The state’s reliance on foreign oil has only grown because of state and federal policies that have severely limited the production of affordable energy within California. With the conflict in Ukraine, there is going to be increased demand on volatile energy supplies – making California more vulnerable to price swings.
Rising global energy costs are already having a direct impact at the pump, with gas prices hitting a recent high of $7.59 per gallon. Currently, the average price for a gallon of gas is $5.28, and last year, it was $3.76.
California imports more oil from foreign countries and other states than it produces locally. Any interruption in the global supply will result in higher energy costs for Californians. All sectors of the state’s economy from food prices to manufacturing of goods will grapple with higher costs.
Given the uncertainty, experts fear the disruption to oil supplies will further increase gas prices, resulting in higher inflation. The Los Angeles Times recently noted that “economists worry that higher food and energy prices could push inflation into double digits,” which would affect all sectors of the state’s economy.
We can and must protect working families and their ability to live in this beautiful state. To this end, we ask for your commitment in supporting a stable and affordable energy supply by adopting polices to allow Californians to take advantage of the abundant inland natural resources available in our state that will help ensure we are not dependent on foreign energy sources.
We must have more California energy production by Californians for Californians.
Sincerely,
Vince Fong Carlos Villapuda
Assemblymember, 34th District Assemblymember, 13th District
Melissa Hurtado James Gallagher
Senator, 14th District Assemblymember, 3rd District
Jim Cooper Heath Flora
Assemblymember, 9th District Assemblymember, 12th District
Rudy Salas Adam Gray
Assemblymember, 32nd District Assemblymember, 21st District
Jordan Cunningham Shannon Grove
Assemblymember, 35th District Senator, 16th District
Marie Waldron Laurie Davies
Assemblymember, 75th District Assemblymember, 73rd District
Chad Mayes Thurston “Smitty” Smith
Assemblymember, 42nd District Assemblymember, 33rd District
Megan Dahle Jim Patterson
Assemblymember, 1st District Assemblymember, 23rd District
Devon Mathis Tom Lackey
Assemblymember, 26th District Assemblymember, 36th District
Frank Bigelow Kelly Seyarto
Assemblymember, 5th District Assemblymember, 67th District
Steven Choi, Ph.D.
Assemblymember, 68th District
