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
California Petroleum Reserve under Discussion in Response to Energy Security Concerns (June 8, 2026) – The Trump administration is considering creating a petroleum reserve in California after a proposal from Sable Offshore Corp. The company proposed a West Coast Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed that there is “active dialogue” on the issue, according to E&E News. Read more.
Additional California News and Analysis
Oil and gas
Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum traveled to Santa Barbara to defend the Trump administration’s use of emergency authorities to restart Sable Offshore oil production and the Las Flores Pipeline System. Santa Barbara Independent, June 5, 2026.
More than 50 environmental activists gathered in Santa Barbara to protest the restart of Sable Offshore’s oil operations following a visit by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Santa Barbara News-Press, June 6, 2026.
The Trump administration is evaluating whether to move crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to California for the first time as officials seek to address fuel supply concerns and rising gasoline prices on the West Coast. Politico, June 5, 2026.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum argued that California’s growing reliance on imported crude oil—estimated at roughly 60% of refinery supply—poses a national security risk, particularly because the state hosts numerous military installations and lacks pipeline connections to other U.S. refining centers. Fox Business, June 5, 2026.
Commentary and analysis
Edward Ring, Five Billion Barrels of Crude Oil,” California Policy Center, June 3, 2026.
Noah Baustin, “Trump’s oil agenda lands in California,” Politico, June 8, 2026.
Mike Stoker, James W. Rector, Michael Mische, and Joseph Silvi, “End California’s War on Oil: (Part 1) Federalize the Oilfields,” The Santa Barbara Current, June 5, 2026.
Mike Stoker, James W. Rector, Michael Mische, and Joseph Silvi, “End California’s War on Oil: (Part 2),” The Santa Barbara Current, June 6, 2026.
Gasoline and fuels
Commentary and analysis
“Here’s why California’s gas-tax insanity keeps getting worse,” California Post, June 3, 2026.
Federal policy
Bay Area lawmakers criticized the Trump administration’s proposal to provide $75 million in federal funding for the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal coal export project, arguing it would increase pollution and undermine California’s clean energy goals. Local News Matters, June 6, 2026.
Batteries
The Tumbleweed battery project in Kern County the first major U.S. grid-scale battery installation capable of delivering electricity continuously for eight hours, twice as long as typical energy-storage facilities. Canary Media, June 8, 2026.
Data centers and AI
Voters in Monterey Park overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure permanently banning data centers, making the city the first in the United States to enact such a prohibition through a public vote. The measure reflects growing local concerns about electricity demand, water use, environmental impacts. Politico, June 4, 2026.
Additional News and Analysis
Renewable energy
A federal judge struck down an IRS policy adopted during the Trump administration that narrowed eligibility for wind and solar tax credits by eliminating a long-standing “5% safe harbor” test for determining when construction begins. The ruling restores a key pathway for renewable-energy developers to qualify for federal tax incentives and represents a setback for efforts to restrict clean-energy subsidies. Reuters, June 8, 2026.
Offshore wind
The Trump administration is facing a lawsuit from seven Northeastern states over the agreement that would pay French energy company TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion to abandon two offshore wind projects and redirect investment toward oil and gas development. The states argue the action unlawfully canceled federal offshore wind leases and threatens state clean energy goals. The Hill; AP, June 2, 2026.
Energy policy
The European Union is preparing a package of energy-tax and grid-charge reforms aimed at lowering electricity bills, reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels, and accelerating electrification across transportation, industry, and heating. A draft proposal would require member states to tax electricity at a lower rate than natural gas, encourage consumers to shift usage to lower-cost periods through smart-meter deployment, and adjust network charges that account for roughly one-quarter of household power bills. Reuters, June 8, 2026.