|
Introducing the 2026 DATC Keynote Speaker
We’re proud to announce Assemblyman Heath Flora as our 2026 Day at the Capitol Keynote Speaker!
A farmer, firefighter, and small business owner, Assemblyman Flora brings real-world experience to the State Assembly and a strong track record of standing up for public safety, agriculture, and California businesses through passed legislation and continued leadership at the Capitol.
As we gather to advocate for policies that impact our industry, including support for AB 2046 to expand access to affordable fuel, and opposition to the SAF tax credit, we look forward to starting off our day with an inspiring keynote from Assemblyman Flora at this year's DATC!
Visit www.cfca.energy/datc/ for more information.
| | |
Adopted Rulemaking:
EV Charger Recordkeeping and Reporting, Reliability, and Data Sharing Requirements
The California Office of Administrative Law recently adopted the EV Charger Recordkeeping and Reporting, Reliability, and Data Sharing Requirements, which will go into effect on April 1, 2026. Please review this preliminary toolkit to understand the reporting requirements that apply.
| | |
Iran Scrambles Houston's Energy Calculus
March 23, 2026
As the energy industry gathers in Houston this week, one topic is top of mind: the Iran war’s upheaval of the global oil and gas market.
The annual CERAWeek by S&P Global conference began today, nearly a month after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. The war has seen the destruction of energy infrastructure in the Middle East and the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz, removing about 20 percent of the world’s oil supply from the market.
Oil executives want to know: When will this be over?
They are asking Trump administration officials that question — and emphasizing the importance of a speedy solution — at the conference, write Ben Lefebvre, Phelim Kine and Mike Soraghan. A group of industry executives met with Energy Secretary Chris Wright outside the conference hall Sunday evening, two people familiar with the meeting said.
| | |
Urging More U.S. Oil Production might not Move the Needle on Pump Prices
March 20, 2026
President Donald Trump may ask oil companies to ramp up domestic production, but there isn’t much they could do that would move the needle on prices at the pump.
A shortage of ready workers and a low number of wells that could quickly start production could prove to be hurdles for a U.S. oil industry that is seeing crude prices rise to near $100 a barrel amid amid the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has said companies may start speeding their drills to help offset higher gasoline prices, but industry analysts said increasing production could be easier said than done.
There aren’t enough workers ready to quickly head out into the oilfield, one expert said. Even if there were, it would take months to get oil flowing from new wells.
| | |
As Iran War causes Gas and Airfares to Spike, Lawmakers Warn of Price Gouging - but Experts Points to Supply Shocks
March 24, 2026
With the Iran war in its fifth week, consumers are getting hit hard by surging energy costs. Now, some lawmakers are warning of the potential for price gouging, even as experts point to extreme supply shocks.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime shipping route for global oil supplies, remains effectively at a standstill, causing the biggest oil supply disruption in history.
Oil prices have soared more than 40% since the start of the U.S.-Iran war on Feb. 28, triggering price spikes for gas and jet fuel.
Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, topped $112 a barrel on Friday before retreating. As of Tuesday morning, it was trading at about $103. Gasoline, which is refined from crude oil, reached a nationwide average of $3.98 a gallon as of Tuesday, up about 35% from a month ago, according to AAA.
| | |
STICKER SHOCK
March 23, 2026
Donald Trump has spent the past year successfully erecting roadblocks to California’s electric vehicle goals. Now, the war in Iran could give the EV market an unexpected boost.
California’s average gas price is still climbing four weeks after the U.S. and Israel launched a series of attacks on Iran, soaring to $5.79 per gallon on Monday — a more than $1 increase since last month — amid restrictions on oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Car dealers and market analysts say that a sustained spike with little clarity about how much higher prices will rise is precisely the formula to push American car buyers, who’ve long favored gas-guzzling SUVs and trucks, towards more fuel-efficient options.
| | |
Governors Forgo Past Response to High Gasoline Prices
March 23, 2026
Governors from both parties are offering the same response to soaring gasoline prices: Don’t look at me.
As war in the Middle East continues to destroy vital energy infrastructure and batter the global oil market, very few states are seriously considering a gasoline tax holiday — their only real short-term lever to lower prices at the pump.
For now, governors appear less inclined to drain state coffers than they were in 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted gas tax holidays in five states and calls for them in more than a dozen others.
| | |
Changes to California's Cap-and-Invest Program are Freaking Out Refiners ... and a few Democrats
March 22, 2026
Proposed changes to California’s Cap-and-Invest Program have prompted complaints from oil refiners in the state, rattled more than a few Democrats in the Legislature, and spurred environmental groups to urge the California Air Resources Board to go full-speed ahead.
Any revisions to the Cap-and-Invest Program come as California’s already-high gasoline prices have climbed to even more eye-watering levels since the start of the war in Iran.
Oil companies warn that suggested changes released earlier this year could lead to more refinery shutdowns across the state. Environmental groups say the petroleum industry just wants to protect its profit margins. But 15 Democrats in the Assembly recently sent a letter to the head of the Air Resources Board, saying CARB needs to make a U-turn.
For its part, CARB officials say the proposals are merely that — proposals that are being considered — and the agency’s board is not scheduled to make any final decisions until late May.
| | |
California Bets on an Obscure Tool to Replace Clean Air Authority Trump Revoked
March 22, 2026
When a package arrives at your door, it has likely traveled through a chain of ports, railyards and warehouses throughout the state. All those ships, trains and trucks leave behind a trail of diesel exhaust as they go, driving some of the highest asthma rates in communities.
For decades, state and federal regulators have tried to clean that up. Now much of their authority is in doubt: the Trump administration revoked California’s authority to mandate electric vehicles and pulled back federal power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions — undermining California’s most effective tools.
A bill moving through the Legislature would try to fill that gap. Assembly bill 1777, authored by Democrat Robert Garcia, who represents parts of San Bernardino County, would give California air regulators authority to hold ports, warehouses and railyards accountable for the pollution they draw to nearby communities — using a regulatory tool called the indirect source rule.
| | |
ON THE LIST
March 19, 2026
The California Chamber of Commerce is releasing its Affordability Agenda list this morning, its annual naughty-or-nice list of proposed legislation. Of the 11 measures identified, nine are dubbed “Cost Drivers” — bills the group believes will lead to higher costs for businesses and consumers.
Notable bills the Chamber is opposing include Assemblymember Robert Garcia’s proposal to expand the California Air Resources Board’s ability to regulate emissions, the “water’s edge” tax on corporations introduced by Assemblymember Damon Connolly and Sen. Scott Wiener’s proposal to overhaul how the state assesses regulations that will have an economic impact of more than $50 million.
| | |
GAS PLAN
March 20, 2026
The continuing climb of California gasoline prices — the average hit $5.66 on Friday — is spurring candidates for governor to offer up their ideas for cheaper fuel.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and conservative commentator Steve Hilton both last week called for the state to pause its gas tax. Then on Friday, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa rolled out a sweeping proposal to lower gas prices that aligns with the “all of the above” energy strategy he has embraced throughout his campaign.
| | |
BACK TO THE COURTS
March 19, 2026
The lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s dismantling of federal climate policy are piling up.
Two dozen Democratic-controlled states and several major cities and counties — including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Santa Clara — on Thursday challenged EPA’s repeal of the endangerment finding, the 2009 document that lays out the legal basis for the agency to regulate greenhouse gases as a threat to public health.
| | |
SPARRING SABLE
March 18, 2026
The Newsom administration has gone to court to stop an offshore oil company that is moving crude oil through a pipeline that crosses state park land.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the State Parks agency on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Sable Offshore Corp. in Santa Barbara Superior Court. They are asking a judge to order the company to stop flowing oil through state park property and remove its pipeline.
The suit broadens California’s response to the Trump administration’s decision on Friday to invoke its national defense emergency powers to order Sable to begin operations. On Monday, Bonta filed a motion in a separate legal proceeding asking a federal judge to stop Sable from operating its pipeline...
| | |
Some California Democrats Pitch Gas Price Relief as Prices at the Pump Soar
March 18, 2026
One candidate wants to suspend a host of state environmental policies that boost the price of gas. Another wants to suspend the 61 cent-a-gallon state gas tax.
Amid a spike in gas prices fueled by President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, at least two Democratic contenders for California governor are capitalizing on the moment to push for policies they say would give drivers a break.
Recent proposals from former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan reflect how Democrats are trying to use rising gas prices, a potent election-year issue, to distinguish themselves as prioritizing the cost of living.
| | | | |
For California, Jones Act Waiver More Likely to Alleviate Tanker Capacity Crunch than Gas Prices
March 20, 2026
The CFCA says the Jones Act should be more permanently reviewed, and that fuel supply to the country’s most populous state was already facing supply and transportation cost challenges before the beginning of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
In a statement to SupplyChainBrain on March 19, the CFCA clarified its comments a day earlier, commending the waiver, which opens U.S. port-to-port ocean transport to all comers, for offering “relief from supply bottlenecks” and “fuel supply constraints” it says have contributed to higher prices at the pump.
These conditions predate the war, and are caused by “structural limitations in the domestic shipping market created by the Jones Act,” said CFCA chief executive officer Elizabeth Graham, although global energy supply chain disruptions, such as the current war in the Middle East, “can certainly exacerbate an already tight system.”
| | | | |
More Californians Could Access Cheaper Gasoline If This Bill Passes
March 23, 2026
E85 typically sells for $1.50-$2 less per gallon than regular gasoline in California, according to the California Fuels and Convenience Alliance, which supports the bill.
| | We want to highlight and thank our current top contributors of 2026! | | |
5 Star Contributors
Pearson Fuels
Valley Pacific Petroleum Services, Inc.
Robinson Oil Corporation
| | |
2-4 Star Contributors
Amber Resources
AU Energy & Loop Neighborhood Markets
Boyett Petroleum
Ed Staub & Sons Petroleum, Inc.
EG America
FLYERS Energy, LLC
Greg's Petroleum Service, Inc.
InterState Oil Company
Jeffries Bros., Inc.
National Wholesale Fuels - Circle K Stores, Inc.
Ramos Oil
Rinehart Oil, Inc.
Roche Oil, Inc.
Tooley Oil Company
TORO Petroleum Corporation
Valley Oil Company
Van De Pol Enterprises, Inc.
Western States Oil Co.
| | |
Stay Connected With Your Local Chapter!
As a CFCA Member, you're automatically part of one of our Local Chapters, established to help us better advocate for and engage with our members on the issues that matter most at the city and county level.
| | | | |
Don't forget to join us on the BAND app, where you can stay up to date on the latest alerts for your region. For any questions, contact Bryan Lam, at bryan@cfca.energy
| | |
| |
This Compliance Checklist details what you need to know for:
#1 Immediate Action Required for ABC Licensees: Kratom/7-OH
#2 Proposition 65 Compliance Reminder for Bisphenol S (BPS)
#3 Attention Tobacco Retailers: Unflavored Tobacco List
#4 SB 1053 is in Effect: No More Plastic Bags
#5 Biodiesel B20 On-Road-In-Use Requirements No Longer in Effect
#6 Workplace Know Your Rights Model Notice Requirement
#7 Cal/OSHA Form 300A Workplace Illnesses and Injuries Annual Summary Requirement
#8 Tianeptine Restrictions
#9 New Form Required For Employers: Emergency Contact Form for Arrest or Detention
#10 California Regulations on AI and Privacy Policies
| | |
State & Local Updates!
Stay tuned to see how we’re advocating on your behalf, including our correspondence with lawmakers, responses to key policies, and other important communications shaping the industry.
| | |
Attack on Iran Underscores Risks of California's Heavy Reliance on Imported Oil as Gas Prices Rise, Affecting Drivers in the Southwest
Published March 4, 2026
| | | | | |
