Posted on 07/24/2025 6:30:55 AM PDT by george76
California Democrats are reportedly rushing to find a buyer for a refinery scheduled to shut down in 2026 as a potential gas crisis looms over the state, according to Reuters.
The California Energy Commission (CEC) is reportedly actively seeking buyers to stop the upcoming closure of the Valero refinery in Benicia, California, according to three people familiar with the matter that spoke to Reuters. Democrat officials are now reportedly scrambling to keep the refinery operating in California after enforcing stringent regulations that have helped prompt refineries to close across the state for years.
“CEC is engaging with market players to explore pathways for the continued operation of in-state refineries,”
...
Valero announced its Benicia, California, refinery closure in April, and Phillips 66 refinery is also scheduled to shut down by the end of 2025.
A spokesperson for Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed the DCNF to Newsom’s recent comments about working with oil refiners and producers to help keep fuel supplies steady, as well as his April letter to CEC urging them to “redouble” efforts to cooperate with refiners.
Golden State residents already pay some of the highest prices at the pump across the U.S., though two major refineries scheduled for closure and strict regulations may spike gas costs to as high as $8 per gallon as soon as next year, according to one study from the University of Southern California.
Oil refineries have been closing in California for years, and the state hasn’t seen a new major refinery built in decades, according to the CEC. Programs like California’s “cap-and-trade” program combined with strict low-carbon fuel standards are contributing to regulatory pressures that are driving refineries out of the state, industry experts have previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Critics like Republican California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones also note that stringent regulations imposed by Democrats have pressured refineries to leave the state. The refinery closures, in tandem with more regulations going into effect, have led some California officials to worry about a potential gas crisis in the state.
Ya think?
Democrats will continue until the people howl.
I am surprised there has been no effective response until now.
China or Pemex.................
“You can buy it but the democrats stringent regulations say you can’t run it ,LOL”
That is exactly right. If they had just backed off of the current owners this would not be happening. They had plenty of warning and time. They are not going to find anyone who is going to buy it and put up with the very same unrealistic irrational crap.
The answer would have been to regulate less but they can’t help themselves. They are like leeches that suck and suck and continue sucking until the host dies. In fact progressives in general are, not just like, parasites.
“Sad to say, this has an impact on northern Nevada as well since most of our gas comes from the left coast. Can hardly blame the refiners. Smooth move calis.”
And Az... We get half of our fuel from those lines too... It really is an interstate commerce crisis. I still do not understand why the Feds have not stepped into this issue because Federal interstate commerce authority absolutely does apply here... California’s crap is going to directly affect the economic welfare and security of two other states. Nevada and Arizona did not elect these irrational regulations...
How sever will the impact be on the rest of the country as refiners in other places try to make up for the shortage and as needed gas has to be shipped in from other places to make up the shortages caused by California closures?
There hasn’t be a petroleum refinery built in the US since 1976.
Ha! Saw this yesterday.
Gavin Newsom thinks he’s going to find a FOOL to buy an oil refinery in California - which has just driven out two refineries (that provided ≈ 18-20% of California’s gasoline) - due to California’s onerous taxes, regulations and burdensome environmental laws?
He thinks someone is going to make a profit over those hurdles? - all of which he fully supports. He is woefully ignorant of business practices and Economics 101.
He might as well be trying to sell the Golden Gate Bridge.
What happened after he signed legislation to raise fast-food workers pay to $20/hour:
“The NBER study estimates that California’s fast food sector lost approximately 18,000 jobs due to the minimum wage increase to $20 per hour.”
“The NBER study estimates that California’s fast food sector lost approximately 18,000 jobs due to the minimum wage increase to $20 per hour.”
How many locations did they close?
It's likely that they are relying on automation. They're doing that here too. And we don't have the $20 per hour minimum wage.
i have an idea inspired by government owned and operated grocery stores: California itself should take over and operate the Valero Benicia refinery! Since it’s gonna shutdown anyway, the price should be cheap, maybe even free! ... And California could operate it on a non-profit basis, thus making refined petroleum products less expensive!
BUHWAHAHHAHAHA! JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!
california don’t need no stinkin refineries: they’s gonna be all ‘electric in a couple o’ years ... jes plug yore car into der wall and off youse go ...
Automation is EVERYWHERE.
I haven’t been in a fast-food type joint in the past few years in California that didn’t have kiosks for ordering - no one is at the front any longer, just to bring out the food - skeleton staff is what it looks like. They also strongly suggest ordering from the app.
Even medium-level restaurants are having you order from a kiosk, sit down and they’ll bring your food out to you like in a traditional restaurant setting. (Hook, local Panera Bread use this model)
Apparently, the next push is for AI for the drive-thru.
We were in a very nice Japanese restaurant recently (in So Cal) where the food was brought out by a robot - my Chinese colleague told me this is the restaurant model all over Asia b/c of the high cost of labor.
Choice is either close operations or automate.
I think in certain locations, they should make you prepay before you get your meal.
Say you're at an Applebee's in Chicago?
Once you've paid for your order, they'll bring you the meal.
In many places, we are no longer a "high trust society".
This is already happening in California - if you order from a kiosk, you pay immediately, ditto for the app, which more and more people are using.
Traditional restaurants are dying - there are MANY that closed during COVID in my town and never reopened.
I believe this is one of the main reasons these restaurants are using the “pay first” model before the food is handed to you or brought out - to prevent “dine and dash.”
Exactly same for food delivery services - payment first. Food after that.
If memory serves me correctly, this was tried at a Denny's in Chicago quite a long time ago. The civil rights crowd got the policy overturned in short order.
Time for Directive 10-289.
“They’re so damn smart, then why don’t they run it themselves?......................”
I would love to see it. Watch efficiency plummet and prices soar.
Nigeria had two refineries operated by the state. Neither one worked very much. To keep up the illusion that the country was self-sufficient Shell kept a tanker in international waters out of sight for fuel supply. There was a brisk business of lightering fuel from the offshore tanker to the shore. Of course there were no spills with that activity at all. wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
We bought fuel, also called fooel, from one such lightering barge and tug for the drill ship, another story in that which is entertaining to recount but not funny at all then. Here is just part of that ordeal: Remember the tramp steamer captain in the white turtle neck sweater in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”? The guy piloting the tug with the barge to deliver our fooel looked just about like that guy, gold tooth and all, but the white sweater was not so tight nor fitted to a similar physique. “We are here sir.” Where is here? “Here at your ship sir.” What ship? “Your ship sir, the “Name Withheld”” They were at another ship more than 100 miles away who gladly took our fooel on board since it was so hard to arrange a delivery. We even got the bill!!!
High times in West Africa and around the world.
Bkmk
Reno gets ours over the road tankers. No pipes here.
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