A new bill in the California state legislature, intended to encourage the production of petroleum fuels in the Golden State, without having to purchase from foreign nations that may not share California's commitment to emissions reduction, has received unanimous bipartisan support in the state Senate and appears poised for passage in the state Assembly.
This idea has resonated beyond Sacramento because of practical and financial reasons, state Senator Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, who introduced SB 15, told the Southern California Record by email.
Grove noted the bill particularly would require the state to measure the carbon emissions of ships, trains and other vehicles used to transport the oil consumed by millions of Californians daily, which, in turn, boosts the appeal of extracting California's abundance of native petroleum resources.
“Californians consume 1.8 million barrels of oil every single day,” Grove said. “Since California restricts our own oil production, we purchase 75 percent of our oil from Iraq, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Columbia, countries with human rights and environmental records contrary to our own. Senate Bill 15 encourages the legislature to examine the moral and environmental impact of importing foreign oil, from the emissions emitted during production and transportation to the horrible human rights violations of those countries.
“We should prioritize the most climate-compliant oil production in the world, which takes place in Kern County—the energy hub of California. When we produce oil in state, it not only provides Californians jobs, but it also ensures the most stringent environmental standards are upheld throughout the process.”
According to the Assembly Analysis, California in 2021 imported more than half of its oil from foreign countries like Ecuador, where there is litigation to halt drilling in the Amazon rainforest. Recent data from the California Energy Commission shows California also imports much of its oil from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil.
SB 15 also calls for state regulators to measure the emissions from the ships and trains used to transport the oil into the state, changing the calculations used to determine where the state should obtain its oil.
Following SB 15’s unanimous bipartisan passage in the Senate, the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources unanimously passed it on Monday. It is now before the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and if passed there, could go to Gov. Gavin Newsom for signature in the next few months.