An official in California warned Tuesday that the state’s declining oil production and refinery closures could soon create what he called an “aviation fuel crisis.” During a Kern County Board of Supervisors meeting, California state assembly member Stan Ellis warned that state energy policies have increased dependence on imported aviation fuel, calling the trend “a clear and present threat” to national security.
According to Ellis, California now imports about one million barrels of oil per day, with roughly 20 percent of its jet fuel, gasoline, and diesel coming from India—where about 40 percent of crude oil originates from Russia.
Supply Strain and Security Concerns
Ellis told supervisors that several U.S. military installations, including Travis Air Force Base and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, rely almost entirely on California refineries for jet fuel.
“If our defenses can’t fly when needed and we only have a three-day fuel supply—we’re in bad shape,” he said.
Kern County Seeks Federal Action
Supervisor David Couch introduced a motion supporting a white paper co-authored by Ellis and two other state lawmakers, California Energy and Fuel Policies: A Clear and Present Threat to National Security and Force Readiness. The motion, approved unanimously, directs the county to send letters urging federal review of California’s refining and energy regulations to the president, Congress, and the governor.
Supervisor Phillip Peters added that Kern County is also pursuing designation as a natural resource development zone to reaffirm its strategic importance to U.S. energy and aviation fuel security.
Ellis said the solution to relieving the state’s aviation fuel strain lies in easing restrictions on oil and gas producers to maintain refinery operations and stabilize supply chains.
“There are some solutions,” he said. “The solutions are, simply get rid of some of the regulation through federalizing oil and gas. If we can do that and we can empower the other areas in the state to produce diesel, and we can get some of the air regs off of our refineries. Guess what? We win,” he said.
Glad Mr. Ellis is on top of this. Getting Russian Oil through via India is a violation of National Security. Who else is paying attention?