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California drivers could be seeing lower gas prices once a new mega-pipeline project reaches completion, flooding the state with the much needed black gold. In a recent joint announcement, Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan, Inc. said its Western Gateway Pipeline project was moving forward following the closure in the state of multiple refineries. “Customer response during the open season underscores the importance of Western Gateway in addressing long‑term refined products logistics needs in the region,” Phillips 66 Chairman and CEO Mark Lashier said. Once fully operational, the massive pipeline will stretch from St. Louis, MO. to California, and be able...

California’s gasoline market is entering a period of acute supply shortages directly attributable to prior refinery closures, and the long-term systemic decline in in-state crude oil production which have been further exacerbated by the ongoing war in the Middle East. For California, there is a clear trajectory toward increasing supply deficit conditions through April and a high probability of physical shortages by May accompanied by consumer price increases at the pump.

If the United States is the world’s largest oil producer—in fact, if we are energy independent—then why are we still at the mercy of global events? And how can prices spike instantly when the gasoline in the tank was made from cheaper oil weeks ago? People like easy answers, such as “corporate greed.” That is emotionally satisfying, but it doesn’t tell the full story. What’s happening is a function of global markets, supply chain realities, and predictable patterns in consumer behavior. In fact, much of what we’re seeing is exactly how the system is designed to work. The U.S. leads...

An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes.” ~ Sun Tzu Nearly two weeks ago President Donald Trump announced he was invoking the Defense Production Act, and ordered the override of California laws blocking the restart of offshore oil production and the Santa Ynez Pipeline System to restart an oil pipeline project off the Santa Barbara coast, in the name of the “National Defense Resources Preparedness.” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright directed Sable Offshore Corp. to restore operations of the Santa Ynez Unit and Santa Ynez Pipeline System to address supply...

The global energy shock triggered by the ongoing Iran war is rippling through the United States farm sector, where soaring input costs are placing US farmers under severe financial strain and raising concerns about future food prices... The closure and instability around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil and fertilizer shipments, have pushed fuel prices sharply higher and tightened supplies of key agricultural inputs. The result is a double blow for US farmers already dealing with tight margins. Higher input costs reduce profitability, while uncertainty about supply availability complicates planting decisions. In some cases, farmers are...

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced America First Refining (AFR) is opening the first new U.S. oil refinery in nearly half a century in Brownsville, Texas. Situated in a massive deep-water foreign trade zone, the project will leverage advanced infrastructure and strategic rail and sea connections to transport low-carbon fuels and other energy products. "America is returning to REAL ENERGY DOMINANCE!" Trump wrote in an announcement on Truth Social. "THIS IS A HISTORIC $300 BILLION DOLLAR DEAL — THE BIGGEST IN U.S. HISTORY, A MASSIVE WIN for American Workers, Energy, and the GREAT People of South Texas!"

A fire at an oil refinery in Cuba has been brought under control quickly, as the country faces a deepening fuel crisis. Black smoke clouds could be seen billowing from the Ñico López Refinery in the capital Havana on Friday. No-one was injured and an investigation into the blaze has been set up, Cuba's energy ministry said in a post on X. The fire occurred close to where two oil tankers were moored in Havana Bay. Cuba's fuel shortage has worsened after the US blocked Venezuela's oil shipments to the island. Venezuela, a long-standing ally of Cuba, was previously believed...

Canada's major airlines have all suspended service to Cuba, with Air Transat announcing Monday evening it was joining Air Canada and WestJet in cancelling all flights, as the Caribbean island's major airport warns it will run out of jet fuel. All three airlines said they had plans to bring travellers home to Canada. Over the following days, Air Canada will fly empty planes to pick up approximately 3,000 customers already in Cuba and return them home, the airline said Monday in a statement. "Air Canada took the decision following advisories issued by governments (NOTAMs) regarding the unreliability of the aviation...

Russian airlines Rossiya and Nordwind, which regularly connect Moscow with Cuban destinations such as Havana, Varadero, and Holguín, have decided to suspend their flights to the island due to a critical shortage of aviation fuel. The decision was confirmed this Wednesday by the Russian federal aviation agency Rosaviatsia. In an official statement published on Telegram, the agency explained: "Due to the difficulties in supplying aircraft fuel in Cuba, the airlines Rossiya (part of the Aeroflot group) and Nordwind were forced to modify their flight schedules to the airports in this country." According to the agency, Rossiya will operate only repatriation...

The booming Cuba tourism that brought tens of thousands of American and Canadian liberals to Cuba where, if they were sufficiently famous they could meet with Fidel Castro (now somewhat more difficult) and if they weren’t, they could enjoy juicy bloody burgers, classic cars and sex with 9-year-old girls (Communist Cuba’s child sex tourism business in notorious) is now endangered by fuel shortages. Cuban authorities have notified international airlines that they won’t be able to refuel at the island’s airports, as the country’s energy crisis deepens following President Donald Trump’s steps to cut the island’s oil supply in a push...

The recent closure of a California oil refinery — and plans to shutter another in the near future — have some experts warning of potential fuel shortages and price spikes in Nevada and other Western states that depend on the Golden State. California supplies roughly 88% of Nevada’s fuel, including diesel and jet fuel. But Phillips 66 closed a refinery in the Los Angeles area in October, and earlier this year, Valero submitted a notice that it plans to close a Bay Area refinery by April 2026. Combined, the two refineries produce 284,000 barrels of oil per day, about 17%...

DELIVERING A WIN FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES AND AUTOMAKERS: Today, President Donald J. Trump is delivering major relief to American families by resetting the Biden Administration’s costly and unlawful Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.President Trump is returning CAFE standards to levels that can actually be met with conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles. The Biden Administration standards imposed unrealistic fuel economy targets that effectively resulted in an electric vehicle (EV) mandate.The Trump Administration’s reset of the CAFE standards ensures the program’s fidelity to the legal restrictions set forth by Congress.The Biden standards broke the law by going far beyond the requirements...

Ukraine’s Defense Forces have blown up a Russian fuel train in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to local activist Petro Andriushchenko. The incident occurred in the temporarily occupied territory between Urozhayne and Tokmak. Drone images shared by Andriushchenko show burning fuel tankers and the derailed train. “The train derailed and is now being finished off with everything that can fly. It’s burning beautifully. The Ukrainian Defense Forces in Zaporizhzhia are once again reducing Russian logistics to zero,” he wrote, News.Az reports, citing foreign media. While the exact method has not been officially confirmed, strike drones are believed to have targeted the...

New York will soon require most new buildings to be fully electric, following a vote by the state Building Code Council, according to the Times Union. Beginning January 2026, gas and oil systems will be banned in newly constructed homes and low-rise buildings, with broader mandates kicking in by 2029. Supporters say the move helps cut emissions and long-term costs, but critics argue it burdens residents and stresses an already strained power grid. The law includes exceptions for buildings with permits filed before year’s end and does not apply to renovations. New York’s building sector is the state’s largest emissions...

Despite the massive input of cash from Disney, the BBC’s famed Doctor Who sci fi series seems to be struggling in the UK ratings with numbers coming in lower than even the previous low numbers from last season as the show becomes mired in accusations of ultra woke story telling. The British state-run broadcasting service reports that the sci fi show’s seven-day viewing figures are not auspicious at all for the first half of season 15, the second for the “queer” Doctor portrayed by actor Ncuti Gatwa. The press has also been a disaster for the show. Over the past...

SANDY — A Utah couple is being accused of money laundering and smuggling oil into the U.S. alongside Mexican cartels, after they were arrested during a multi-state raid by U.S. Marshals, according to court documents. James Lael Jensen and his wife, Kelly Anne Jensen, were booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Wednesday. The couple and two of his sons are being federally indicted for allegedly conspiring to smuggle 2,881 shipments of oil from Mexico that they knew were illegal. The family is accused of moving at least $300 million from Mexico to the U.S. The couple was arrested...

Multiple refineries in California have recently declared their intentions to shutter operations, leaving the Golden State uncertain about future fuel supplies and impacts on prices at the pump. Valero Energy Corp. was the latest to make such an announcement, alerting the California Energy Commission (CEC) last month that it would “idle, restructure or cease refining operations” at its Benicia refinery by the end of April 2026. The Valero notice followed similar news at Phillips 66 in October, when that company said it would be ceasing operations at its Los Angeles-area refinery in the fourth quarter of 2025. Firms are attributing...

Valero says by April 2026, its Benicia refinery will be shut down.

According to a proposal by Democrats at the Colorado state Capitol, up to a $20,000 fine will hang over the heads of every retailer who sells either liquid or gas fuels if they don’t have global warming warning stickers on their pumps and products if House Bill 25-1277 is signed into law. The bill, Increasing Transparency Impact of Fuel Products, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder and Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, says retail outlets selling petroleum-based fuel products must put stickers on pumps, store displays and other retail items or face fines. “Evidently the purpose...

"No pipelines exist to feed gasoline in from other states.".. If you thought that the LA wildfires exposed just how mismanaged California is, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Russia. China. Venezuela. Iran. More than a dozen countries make gasoline at state-owned refineries. Could California be next on the list? Let’s see what do all of those places have in common? Tyrannical regimes. Miserable lives for much of the population. High levels of migration. Radical politics. Sure, California belongs on that list. California policymakers are considering state ownership of one or more oil refineries, one item on a list of options...