Gasoline-Starved California Now Turns to Distant Bahamian Supplies

California Republicans have been handed a great, big, knobbly, Fred Flintstone-style club to beat California Democrats over the head with, and that may just make a difference in this fall's elections in the once-Golden State. That club? Gas prices are the highest in the nation thanks to Democrats in general and the impeccably coiffed Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom in particular. For years now, they have tried to drive energy producers out of the state, and now they have succeeded. Refineries are shutting down. Entire companies are up and leaving. And now, to add another big bump to that big knobbly club, California has been forced to get gasoline from the Bahamas. Yes, that's right: Newsom's California is buying gasoline to be shipped through a Caribbean country, and having it sent, by tanker, through the Panama Canal and hence to California.

It would be funny if it weren't so sad.

US supplies of gasoline are being shipped out of the country to travel thousands of miles via the Bahamas before finally ending up in California, a state battling shrinking fuelmaking capacity and high pump prices.
Shipments on the circuitous route are increasing. California imported more gasoline in November than ever before, with more than 40% coming from the Bahamas.

And they will continue importing more gasoline, and the price will keep rising. Here's why:

The lengthy journey adds another layer of cost to California’s already expensive gasoline market. Yet the phenomenon isn’t likely to disappear soon, thanks to a combination of disappearing oil refineries, a lack of interstate pipelines and a loophole in a 106-year-old maritime law.
California has among the strictest environmental regulations in the US, making it costly for energy companies to operate in, though a wave of upcoming refinery closures is prompting officials and regulators to soften their stance. On average, the closures could raise the cost of gasoline for consumers by between 5 and 15 cents a gallon, said Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis.

I'm guessing that the price increase will be greater than that, but for now I'll defer to Mr. De Haan - noting that a 15-cent increase is still disastrous. This will make doing business, any business, in California more difficult than it already is. The cost of energy, after all, affects the cost of everything, and California has, in recent years, been truly stupid on energy policy.

This is an issue that the GOP should be able to win on, even in California, at least on the margins. Some swing districts may well flip red if this nitwittery continues.

Tank Full? CA Gas Prices May Hit A Devastating $10 - Thanks, Gavin Newsom!

We should note that the gas from the Bahamas is coming indirectly, in some cases, but there's an old law that complicates things.

Under the Jones Act, any goods shipped between US ports must travel on US-built, owned and operated vessels. Those tankers are in short supply and expensive to charter. There are about 55 Jones Act-compliant oil tankers worldwide, compared with more than 7,000 oil tankers globally.
“Even if there are such vessels, they would charge more than a foreign-flagged vessel would,” said Martin Davies, director of Tulane University’s Maritime Law Center.

So, California Republicans, here's the needful act: Pin California Democrats down, write the current price of gasoline and diesel on that club, and commence to - metaphorically, of course - beat California Democrats over the head with it. This may well be the issue that turns the tide. California is a state that sits on ample petroleum stocks that can't be developed due to Democrat policies, a state that has refineries closing down due to Democrat policies, a state that was once prosperous, indeed wealthy, and productive, until it was ruined by Democrat policies. Now they are a state that has to import gasoline, at a horrible cost, thanks to Democrat policies.

California won't turn around overnight. But this can start the tide turning. And between now and this fall's elections, gas prices will likely go up even further.

This is the moment, California Republicans. It's your storm. Use it.

Editor’s Note: The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject its globalist agenda.

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