This weekly newsletter highlights the latest from the California Energy Journal along with links to articles and analysis on key developments in California energy policy.
Questions, comments, or tips? Contact editor@californiaenergyjournal.com.
From the California Energy Journal
Bill Would Expand CARB Authority over Indirect Emissions Sources (February 17, 2026) – California Assemblymember Robert Garcia introduced legislation to expand the state’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. AB 1777 would empower the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to adopt regulations targeting emissions linked to “indirect sources,” which are facilities and land uses that attract significant mobile emissions but have historically fallen outside direct regulatory control by state authorities. Read more.
Additional California News and Analysis
Oil and gas
Lobbying disclosures show that oil majors spent at near-record levels in Sacramento in 2025. Politico, February 11, 2026.
The governor’s office announced that all 21 oil wells at the AllenCo site in University Park, Los Angeles, are now permanently plugged and sealed. Governor’s Office, February 11, 2026.
Commentary and analysis
Tony Briscoe, “Notoriously hazardous South L.A. oil wells finally plugged after decades of community pressure,” Los Angeles Times, February 14, 2026.
“The Fragile State of California’s Energy Infrastructure,” Funds for NGOs, February 10, 2026.
State Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares said on Fox Business that “California is truly at a breaking point. Refineries are closing, supply is diminishing, and my constituents are paying more at the pump every single day.” New York Post, February 12, 2026.
Chevron executive Andy Walz says he is “quite worried” over California’s energy polices, Fox Business, February 12, 2026.
Baruch Feigenbaum, “California needs to transition away from the gas tax, whether Republicans like it or not,” Orange County Register, February 14, 2026.
Ella Heydenfeldt, “California to Weigh In on Fate of Platform Holly off Goleta’s Coast,” Santa Barbara Independent, February 13, 2026.
Power and utilities
Californians have seen their energy bills spike by 39% over the past six years — the most by far of any state, according to UC Berkeley’s Haas Energy Institute — thanks in part to the destructive wildfires that have torn through Los Angeles and other areas in recent years and policy choices that have shoved costs onto rate payers. New York Post, February 9, 2026.
SB 1011 would require utility companies that use AI for automated decisions to use humans to “modify or override the output of the automated decision systems and to take other specified actions.” A similar bill, SB 833, was introduced last year.
Commentary and analysis
Song Wanyuan, “What can China learn from California’s coal power exit?,” Dialogue Earth, February 11, 2026, February 12, 2026.
A federal judge rejected California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s bid to dismiss Exxon Mobil’s lawsuit accusing him of defamation in criticizing the oil giant’s advanced plastics recycling initiatives. Reuters, February 13, 2026. (also see California Sues ExxonMobil for “Campaign of Deception” about Plastic Recycling.)
International
California Governor Gavin Newsom and UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) to increase transatlantic investment and environmental protection during a meeting at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. Governor’s Office, February 16, 2026. President Trump criticized the agreement. The Hill, February 16, 2026.
Additional News and Analysis
Federal policy
President Donald Trump announced that the Environmental Protection Agency is rescinding the endangerment finding, the legal finding that it has underpinned climate policy since 2009. NBC News, February 12, 2026.
Commentary and analysis
Julia Kane and Josh Voorhees, “Trump is wiping out all climate regulation. Big Oil may regret it,” Heated, February 10, 2026.
Oil and gas
Commentary and analysis
Duggan Flanakin, “The Perils of Petronomics in a Warring World,” Real Clear Energy, February 9, 2026.