Liberal Dreams Tank the Golden State’s Fuel Future
Listen up, you sun-soaked socialists in Sacramento—your green utopia is about to hit the skids, and it’s going to cost every driver in California a fortune at the pump. While the rest of America drills baby drills under Trump’s energy dominance, the People’s Republic of California is chasing away its last oil refineries like they’re unwanted houseguests at a vegan potluck. Valero just pulled the plug on its Benicia refinery ahead of schedule, and Phillips 66 already shuttered its Los Angeles operation last year. The result? A brewing gasoline crisis that’s got prices primed to explode, supplies hanging by a thread, and the whole state begging for imports from places that actually like making money off fossil fuels. This isn’t just bad policy; it’s economic suicide dressed up as saving the planet. America First means energy independence, not begging foreigners for a fill-up while your own backyard goes barren.
Valero just paid a $1.1 billion breakup fee to leave California.
When a company is willing to absorb a billion-dollar write-down just to exit a market, that’s not a routine business decision. It’s a signal that the operating environment no longer works.
Valero is shutting down… pic.twitter.com/omIEscUZy6
— Mike Netter (@nettermike) February 9, 2026
The Great Refinery Exodus: Why They’re Bolting the Blue State
These energy giants aren’t leaving because they woke up one day and decided to spite the surfers. No, it’s the endless parade of regulatory nonsense from the eco-zealots in charge that’s driving them out. California slaps on mandates thicker than LA traffic, from cap-and-trade cash grabs to emissions rules that make running a refinery feel like navigating a minefield blindfolded. Add in the push for zero-emission vehicles by 2035—yeah, good luck with that when your grid can’t even handle a heatwave—and it’s no wonder companies are packing up.
Valero announced back in April 2025 it’d idle its 145,000-barrel-per-day Benicia plant by April 2026, citing lousy margins, sky-high costs, and a regulatory beatdown that included an $85 million fine for some emissions flap. But they didn’t wait around; the shutdown kicked off early, with processing units going dark in February 2026 after mandatory inspections they couldn’t dodge. By now, it’s fully idled, axing 237 jobs from March through July. Phillips 66 beat them to the punch, announcing in October 2024 it’d cease ops at its 139,000-barrel-per-day Los Angeles-area complex—split between Wilmington and Carson—by the fourth quarter of 2025. They wrapped it up by December 2025, laying off 277 workers in waves through 2026. Both outfits blame the same culprits: declining demand as Californians ditch gas guzzlers for electric toys that nobody can afford, plus a hostile business climate where every bureaucrat wants a pound of flesh.
It’s not just these two; refineries have been dropping like flies. The state had 40 back in 1983—now it’s down to a handful, with more eyeing the exits. Why stick around when you can refine elsewhere without the green tape strangling your profits? These closures wipe out about 17% of California’s refining muscle, turning the state from a producer into a beggar reliant on tankers from Asia or the Gulf Coast.
Newsom’s policies are driving jobs out of California and pushing us to the brink of an oil crisis.
Valero shut down a CA refinery 4 months early! Thanks to Sacramento’s hostile regulations and forced EV agenda.
Gas will cost more. Groceries already do. Working families pay the… https://t.co/bh8IFRjz34
— Brian W. Jones (@SenBrianJones) February 7, 2026
Pump Pain: Prices Set to Spike Like a Bad Hair Day
Buckle up, because this refinery rout is going to hit your wallet harder than a Biden inflation surge. California’s gas prices are already the nation’s highest, averaging $4.65 a gallon back in September 2025 while the rest of us paid $3.18. Now, with 284,000 barrels a day vanishing, experts are forecasting hikes from a modest 12 cents to a wallet-busting couple of bucks per gallon by mid-2026. Some doomsayers even whisper $8 or $12 a gallon in spikes—though that’s probably overblown panic, it’s not impossible if supplies choke.
Why the surge? Simple supply and demand, folks. Less local refining means more imports, and California’s picky about its fuel blend—it’s got unique specs that make swapping in out-of-state gas a headache. Tankers from overseas will fill the gap, but that means higher shipping costs, port bottlenecks, and vulnerability to global hiccups like wars or weather. One analysis pegs the hit at $1.21 a gallon by August 2026 once the dust settles, with immediate jumps of 40 cents post-closure. Volatility will be the new normal: Expect wild swings when maintenance or mishaps hit the remaining plants, turning every fill-up into a gamble.
And it’s not just cars—diesel and jet fuel take a beating too, jacking up trucking costs and airfares. Nevada, Arizona, and Oregon, who suck down California’s leftovers, are already bracing for ripples, with Nevada fretting over 88% of its fuel coming from here. Shortages could turn routine drives into rationing nightmares, all because the libs prioritized polar bears over practical energy.
Future Forecast: Imports, Instability, and Idiot Policies
Looking ahead, California’s fuel future is as bright as a solar panel at midnight. By 2030, more closures loom as demand drops—projections say gasoline use craters with EV mandates, but that’s assuming the grid doesn’t collapse first. The state will lean harder on imports, exposing it to foreign whims and price gouging. We’re talking tankers from Singapore or Saudi Arabia, folks—how’s that for America Last? Security risks skyrocket: One disrupted shipment, and lines form at pumps like it’s 1973 all over again.
Without a U-turn on the green madness, prices stabilize north of $6 a gallon, with spikes pushing $7 or more. The economy grinds slower—higher transport costs mean pricier groceries, goods, and everything else. Jobs vanish: Those 500-plus refinery gigs are just the start; ripple effects hit suppliers, truckers, and ports. And the irony? All this “climate action” might not even cut emissions if dirtier foreign refineries pick up the slack.
From an America First view, this is what happens when you let tree-huggers run the show: Dependence on outsiders, crushed working folks, and a state that’s a cautionary tale for the nation. Time to drill, build, and unleash energy like we do in red states—before California’s mess spills over and tanks us all. The Golden State’s turning to rust, and it’s the libs’ fingerprints all over the crime scene.