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
Judge Upholds Injunction against Sable Oil Pipeline Restart (April 20, 2026) – In a tentative ruling on April 17, 2026, a Santa Barbara County judge denied Sable Offshore Corp.’s effort to rescind the preliminary injunction prohibiting the restart of the Las Flores Pipeline System. Sable restarted the pipeline in March after a directive from the Secretary of Energy issued under the authority of the Defense Production Act (DPA). Read more.
Additional California News and Analysis
Oil and gas
The final oil tankers to clear the Strait of Hormuz before the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began are expected to dock at West Coast ports this week, marking the end of a more than 45-day buffer that has largely shielded California’s economy from the closure’s full cost. KQED, April 16, 2026.
Commentary and analysis
Joel Kotkin, “Iran war exposes weakness of California’s ‘green’ dependence on foreign oil,” New York Post, April 18, 2026.
Edward Ring, “How Much CO2 Do Oil Tankers Emit En-Route to California?,” California Policy Center, April 15, 2026.
Shawn Regan, “California’s High Gas Prices Are Self-Inflicted,” City Journal, April 14, 2026.
Brennon Mendez, “California’s Gas System Is Crumbling. SB 1359 Charts a Path to a Clean Energy Future.,” Legal Planet, April 17, 2026
Renewable energy
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District paused a Solano County wind project that would have relied on clean energy tax credits scaled back by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Politico reported. Politico, April 14, 2026.
Environmental groups appealed the California Supreme Court to overturn a lower court’s review that approved the state’s new rooftop solar policy. Center for Biological Diversity, April 20, 2026; EWG.
A new solar project in Kern County will help power the Edmonston Pumping Plant, which connects water to 27 million people in Southern California. The 105-megawatt Pastoria Solar Project is the largest renewable energy project ever contracted by the California Department of Water Resources. Los Angeles Times, April 20, 2026.
California is among the states expediting renewable energy projects to qualify for billions of dollars in expiring federal tax credits that can help lower power prices. Projects need to start work by July 4 of this year and have four years to complete construction to qualify for a 30% investment tax credit. Bloomberg, April 17, 2026.
Commentary and analysis
Ryan Kennedy, “Community-scale solar offers $6.5 billion in savings, bypassing California gridlocks,” PV Magazine, April 14, 2026.
Climate and emissions
The California Air Resources Board proposed amendments to the state cap-and-trade program that would increase the number of pollution permits available to refineries and other industries. CARB, April 14, 2026; Fact Sheet.
Republican lawmakers have introduced a half-dozen bills this year that would impose more rigorous requirements on CARB to publicize the impact of climate and pollution rules on residents’ pocketbooks and give the Legislature final sign-off before they take effect. E&E News, April 16, 2026.
Nuclear energy
A report alleges that Pacific Gas & Electric inflated costs of Diablo Canyon’s capital upgrades and operational costs when it requested a loan from the California legislature of $1.4 billion under SB 846, leaving a potential shortfall of $658.6 million. UC Santa Barbara, April 2026.
A report found that continued operation of Diablo Canyon from 2030 to 2045 would reduce electricity costs, with savings of net of capital and operating costs of at least $7.6 billion in present value or more than $500 million per year of continued operations. MIT CEEPR, April 2026.
Legislation
SB 1097, which would provide an exemption to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the permitting of energy generation, storage, and transmission projects, passed out of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.
AB 2647 was amended to require the California Energy Commission to report on the potential role for advanced nuclear technologies in supporting critical infrastructure in California, and of the potential for new, in-state nuclear powerplants to cost-effectively meet statewide needs for new electricity resources. The law was originally introduced to end the state’s moratorium on building nuclear reactors.
SB 982, which would authorize the state attorney general to bring a civil action against a responsible party for “climate-attributable damage,” failed to pass the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Additional News and Analysis
Oil and gas
Sixteen energy and geopolitics experts sent a letter to International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director Fatih Birol, urging a stronger response to the ongoing global oil and gas crisis. The group argues that the global energy crisis, exacerbated by the war in the Middle East, demands a response that goes beyond conventional emergency tools. Energy News, April 14, 2026.
Renewable energy
Record growth in solar, especially in China and India, was a driving factor for clean energy sources surpassing the world’s strong demand for electricity in 2025, according to a new global power analysis. AP, April 20, 2026.
Data centers and AI
Delays to new US data centers threaten to slow the rollout of AI by the world’s biggest tech companies, with almost 40 per cent of projects due this year at risk of falling behind schedule. Financial Times, April 16, 2026.