Don’t blame it on the oil companies, they operate a small isolated field under the strictest control of any state. California is the second highest consumer of oil in the US and rank 3rd or 4th in production. They consume most if not all of their own production and when they need to import to meet demand it has to come from the other side of the Rockies. California is not very user friendly when it comes to oil and gas production and it’s getting worse. Some producers are starting to look else where and selling old production and moving operations East of the Rockies and I don’t blame them. Let California regulate it’self to death.
“They consume most if not all of their own production and when they need to import to meet demand it has to come from the other side of the Rockies.”
I would have t take issue with that statement. I cross the Benica Bridge sometimes on a daily basis, so I see the movement of tankers that bring oil to the Shell, Tosco, and the large refinery in Benica that’s been sold so many times, I don’t know who owns it now. I also pass by the Union refinery in Hercules and the Standard Oil refinery in Richmond both of whom have active in-shipment of oil by tanker. I highly doubt that that oil is coming from “east of the rockies.”
There’s a lot of dishonesty to go around, and the oil companies are part of it.
And while California is a regulation nightmare, I also don’t believe for one minute that market forces are responsible for the wild swings in retail prices.