(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
By Russ Mitchel, Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times
Russia. China. Venezuela. Iran. More than a dozen countries make gasoline at state-owned refineries.
Could California be next on the list?
California policymakers are considering state ownership of one or more oil refineries, one item on a list of options presented by the California Energy Commission to ensure steady gas supplies as oil companies pull back from the refinery business in the state.
“The state recognizes that they’re on a pathway to more refinery closures,” said Skip York, chief energy strategist at energy consultant Turner Mason & Co. The risk to consumers and the state’s economy, he said, is gasoline supply disappearing faster than consumer demand, resulting in fuel shortages, higher prices and severe logistical challenges.
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