Opinion: Newsom struggles with fallout from his disastrous energy agenda

Gov. Gavin Newsom has painted himself into a political corner with no easy way out for him.

No, not his stray comment about redistricting on a podcast that is now careening toward a $200 million-plus special election.

This political corner is years in the making.

Since taking office in 2019, Newsom has done everything possible to vilify and attack our state’s energy industry through litigation and by mandating dozens of burdensome regulations on energy producers. Now, Newsom is witnessing firsthand the negative impacts of his administration’s actions as two companies that refine gasoline in California are shuttering operations.

Phillips 66 announced it would close its southern refinery by the end of this year. Valero has also announced the closure of its northern refining operation by 2026. This is a critical development in that Newsom’s administration has imposed the most stringent fuel standards in the country — standards that demand the production of a unique blend of gasoline known as California Reformulated Gasoline.

By mandating a special blend of gasoline that is exclusive to California, we cannot easily import gasoline from other regions of the country if supplies run low. Add the fact that two of California’s refinery operations that produce this special blend of fuel are closing, and Newsom is looking at the nasty potential for unexpected gasoline shortages and hefty price spikes on fuel.

Newsom’s anti-energy agenda has been forceful, strident and clear from his first days in the governor’s mansion. Newsom pushed policies that reduced demand for gasoline through incentives for electric vehicles, but also by deliberately reducing the supply of oil and natural gas in the state. He announced a ban on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in 2021 and he reduced the number of locations in the state where companies could explore and drill for oil.

Compounding the problem, Newsom has championed lawsuits designed to extract billions from the energy industry to ostensibly hold a handful of oil companies solely liable for all impacts of global climate change. He also pushed legislation to cap oil industry profits, appointed a gas “czar” and routinely blames the oil industry for high fuel prices.

It is no secret that high energy prices have a direct correlation to negative political fallout. Voters usually react to higher energy costs by punishing the politicians they deem responsible. Newsom’s attempts to lay blame on energy companies for fuel shortages or price spikes aren’t working.

As he considers a national campaign to run for president, Newsom apparently has polling data or other research suggesting his constituents are rightly blaming him for his administration’s failed energy agenda and that Republican criticism of his disastrous energy policies is gaining traction with a growing number of Democrat and independent voters.

Newsom just recently listed several proposals designed to prevent fuel price spikes and to keep California-based oil companies profitable. Newsom acknowledged that his administration has “challenges” that “just require some new considerations.”

That’s code language for: “I’m in deep trouble and I can’t risk $10 a gallon gasoline in my home state while running for president.”

One Democrat campaign consultant recently told Politico: “The reality is, if those refineries close and we have increased gas prices, it’s going to be a problem for everybody, not just Gavin Newsom, but every Democrat running for office.”

Numerous political pundits and several polls suggest that the national Democratic Party is directionless and losing touch with large swaths of working-class voters. I believe this trend is also true in California. One can easily point to Newsom’s terrible energy policies and unnecessarily high energy prices as prime examples of the Democrats’ disconnect with working people.

If Newsom is serious about responsibly meeting California’s energy demand, he’d call for an immediate end to the numerous lawsuits filed against state-based energy producers. But if Newsom continues his support for climate change litigation, we will know that he’s merely offering false platitudes and political spin. Again.

O’Neill is former mayor of Newport Beach and the current chairman of the Republican Party of Orange County.