August 20, 2025 [ Bicmagazine]- Within the past year, two major California oil refineries have announced plans to shutter — moves that will pull about one quarter of a million barrels from the state’s daily supply of gasoline.

For a state that has been a standard-bearer in the push to get off fossil fuels, this might seem like a win. Instead, it’s caught political leaders off guard, unprepared, and scrambling to keep open the very facilities they once villainized.

The Phillips 66 refinery south of Los Angeles is slated to close by the end of this year, an announcement the company made last fall, two days after Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation giving the state more authority to regulate such operations. This spring, Valero said it will close its Bay Area facility in 2026, citing in part a record $82 million fine for air pollution that was more than 360 times the legal limit.

For a state that has been a standard-bearer in the push to get off fossil fuels, this might seem like a win. Instead, it’s caught political leaders off guard, unprepared, and scrambling to keep open the very facilities they once villainized.

The Phillips 66 refinery south of Los Angeles is slated to close by the end of this year, an announcement the company made last fall, two days after Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation giving the state more authority to regulate such operations. This spring, Valero said it will close its Bay Area facility in 2026, citing in part a record $82 million fine for air pollution that was more than 360 times the legal limit.