California must take immediate action for energy security

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OPINION – It’s impossible for Californians not to notice skyrocketing gas prices, and those prices hit the poor and working poor the hardest. Commuting for work is still a reality for the many workers who can’t do their jobs from a computer at home and the vast majority of working Californians still drive conventional gas-powered cars.

The most recent price spikes are connected to the state of conflict in Iran. California gets approximately a third of its oil from the Persian Gulf and tankers are now being blocked from exiting at the Strait of Hormuz.

The real problem, however, isn’t the war in the Gulf. The real problem is years of failure by California’s political leaders to effectively address our state’s energy security issues. While most of the country is energy independent as a result of advanced oil technology developed in the last 30 years, California has gone the other way.

Once one of America’s top three oil producers along with Texas and Alaska, California now must rely on imports for 70 percent of our oil. SB 1137, an oil setback law more restrictive than any similar rule in the country, is further restricting local energy production.

Refineries are also leaving and we’ve lost so much refining capacity that we now must import refined fuel all the way from the Bahamas. And if that was not enough, yet another major refinery — Valero’s Benicia facility — is currently in the process of shutting down.

Given that this confluence of factors has sent us to a point of crisis, it’s more clear than ever that action is needed immediately. Senator Shannon Grove has called on Governor Newsom to declare a state of emergency to deal with California’s urgent energy security issues.

The National Association of Royalty Owners – California, or NARO-CA, is urging our members to follow Senator Grove’s lead and call the Governor’s office. We advocate for 600,000 California oil and gas mineral and royalty owners. Our members are farmers, ranchers, retirees, and non profits who contribute to our communities and to California’s economy, and we are being harmed by the unfair policies that aim to shut down our oil and gas production.

Recently, NARO-CA members John and Melinda Morgan filed suit against SB 1137 represented by Pacific Legal Foundation, one of our country’s most respected public interest law firms. This important lawsuit argues the policy is not only harmful to our economy, but is an uncompensated regulatory taking of private property in violation of the Fifth Amendment.

Families who counted on oil income for retirement and to pass on to future generations saw those plans wiped out when SB 1137 was signed into law.

It’s time we look at the situation honestly, stop pointing fingers, and start making the changes California needs. We don’t need oil bans that ruin people’s futures and dependence on Middle Eastern oil. These policies have led us to where we are now, with gas approaching $6 a gallon.

But the good news is these are political policies and not acts of God that caused these problems. We’re not helpless. We can do something about it if our political leaders can put aside partisan politics and act constructively. Start dismantling the anti-oil policies and recognize we need energy security and we need it now.

Eric Eisenhammer is Director of Public Policy and Public Relations for NARO-CA.