Chevron warns Newsom’s ‘adversarial’ energy agenda will cripple California economy, send gas prices soaring

2026-03-05 15:31:35

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Chevron is sounding a dire alarm, warning California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state regulators that newly proposed “cap-and-invest” amendments are a death knell for California’s remaining refineries.

The energy giant warns the move will kill more than half a million jobs, threaten national security and spike gas prices by more than a dollar per gallon — all to fuel a state-run “shakedown” of the energy sector — in a letter addressed to Newsom and obtained by The California Globe.

“The proposed regulation will cripple the survivability of the state’s remaining refineries, which will result in California losing the entire industry to this misguided program,” Chevron President Andy Walz wrote.

“This regulation will increase transportation and aviation fuel prices for consumers. It will risk significant job losses, including many high-paying union jobs, while reducing funding for essential public services,” he continued. “It will upend California’s fuels market and threaten critical energy and national security assets.”

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The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is aiming to make companies cleaner by aggressively lowering the cap on how much total pollution is allowed in the state. Specifically, the board is proposing to pull 118.3 million allowances out of the state’s market between 2027 and 2030 and has more recently increased its carbon reduction target to 90% by 2045.

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Chevron’s president wrote a strongly worded letter addressed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom over proposed energy regulations. (Getty Images)

Walz warns that the green energy agenda comes with a price tag for working families, writing that Chevron projections show a $1 increase per gallon of gas by 2030 and an estimated 536,770 industry jobs at risk.

California already has the highest gas prices in the nation, with the current state average listed at $4.81 per gallon, according to AAA. The national average, by comparison, is $3.25 as of March 4.

In some California counties, gas costs as much as $5.74 per gallon.

“These impacts will fall most heavily on lower-income households that spend a disproportionate share of income on transportation fuels, increasing costs without addressing the underlying driver of California’s gasoline prices,” Walz said. “Affordability is a top concern for California’s residents and Chevron, and these proposed amendments would only exacerbate the high cost of living in the state.”

Walz frames this not only as a local issue but as a threat to the energy stability of the entire United States.

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“Refinery closures in California reduce fuel supply resilience on the West Coast, increasing risks to military readiness and national security,” Walz cautioned. “Maintaining a stable policy framework that supports continued operation of California refineries is therefore not only an economic and consumer affordability issue, but also a matter of broader energy security and national defense.”

CARB is also reportedly exempt from standard open-meeting rules, allowing it to manage billions of dollars in carbon auctions behind closed doors.

“The California energy industry’s economic, industrial, environmental and national security benefits have been the foundation of a healthy, prosperous state and nation. Adversarial policies at local, regional and state levels have eroded that foundation,” Walz said.

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“These proposed regulatory changes threaten to destroy it. Chevron urges policymakers and regulators to reconsider and revise the proposed regulation before it causes lasting and irreversible harm to California’s economy and energy security and broader vital American interests,” he concluded.

Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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