ENB Pub Note: The California energy policies are an absolute travesty. The following article from Americas Offshore discusses the new Clean Coast Act, which is set to be introduced to the United States Congress. The bigger question is for the legal citizens of California. When are you going to stop voting for these people trying to destroy your income, food supply, and way of life? There is enough proven oil and gas reserves to make California, Nevada, and neighboring states energy independent. Now, California imports over 75% of its oil from foreign countries that do not want the United States to survive. Then the regulatory process has shut down local refineries, and gasoline and diesel prices will be imported from China in the near future. I have several California-focused podcasts with Ronald Stein and Mike Umbro, both great energy leaders, to discuss the refinery closures.
The bill should not pass and would likely be vetoed by President Trump, but it stands as a reminder:
“California poses a national security problem.”
Estimating proven oil and gas reserves in California, both onshore and offshore, is tricky because the data is scattered, outdated, or incomplete in many public sources. Official numbers from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and other reliable reports often lag behind real-time developments, and California’s regulatory environment has suppressed exploration, meaning reserves might be underestimated. Still, I’ll piece together what’s available from the web results and reason through it critically.
Onshore Reserves
The EIA’s 2022 data (the most recent cited) doesn’t break down California’s onshore reserves explicitly but notes the state’s total crude oil proved reserves. In 2021, California ranked sixth in U.S. crude oil production, suggesting significant reserves, though exploration has been discouraged since the 1980s, leading to a 59% decline in proved crude oil reserves from 1986 to 2018.
A 2015 USGS assessment of the Monterey Formation in the San Joaquin Basin estimated 21 million barrels of oil and 27 billion cubic feet of gas as continuous (unconventional) technically recoverable resources. Conventional reserves in the same basin, particularly from Monterey’s shallower traps, were estimated at 121 million barrels of oil in 2003, with potential for 3 billion barrels from enhanced recovery in diatomite reservoirs. These numbers focus on the San Joaquin Basin, a key onshore region, but don’t cover the entire state.
Kern County, home to giants like the Midway-Sunset Field (3.5 billion barrels produced historically) and Kern River Field (2.6 billion barrels), still holds significant reserves. The California Department of Conservation estimated in 2002 that the Midway-Sunset Field alone had about 300 million barrels of remaining reserves. Across California’s onshore fields, cumulative production exceeds 2.6 billion barrels, with remaining reserves likely in the hundreds of millions, though exact figures are tough to pin down without newer data.
For natural gas, California produces about 15% of its supply onshore (the rest is imported). In 2012, the state produced 248 billion cubic feet annually, implying reserves in the low trillions of cubic feet, but no precise figure for proved reserves is given.
Offshore Reserves
Offshore reserves are better documented but heavily restricted. A 1996 USGS and MMS estimate pegged central California’s offshore potential at 4 to 6 billion barrels of oil and 5 to 7 trillion cubic feet of gas, with 1 billion barrels of oil and 500 billion cubic feet of gas in seven undeveloped leases. Most fields are north of Point Conception and contain heavy oil, accessible via directional drilling from existing platforms, but political bans since 1994 have halted new leasing.
Specific fields like Carpinteria Offshore (Santa Barbara Channel) retain about 2 million barrels of recoverable oil as of 2008. Larger fields, like Dos Cuadras, are in federal waters, but production data from 2008 (37,400 barrels/day from state waters, 66,400 barrels/day from federal waters) suggests reserves are still substantial, though declining. The Tranquillon Ridge field, partly in state waters, remains undeveloped, with no approved drilling since 2009.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement notes 49 active offshore leases in the Pacific (mostly California), with 43 producing, covering 217,669 acres. This implies reserves in the hundreds of millions of barrels, but no exact figure is provided.
Synthesis and Estimate
Combining these, California’s onshore proved oil reserves are likely in the range of 500 million to 1 billion barrels, factoring in the San Joaquin Basin’s conventional and unconventional estimates, Kern County’s remaining reserves, and other fields. Onshore gas reserves are less clear but probably around 1 to 2 trillion cubic feet, given production trends and limited exploration.
Offshore oil reserves are conservatively estimated at 1 to 2 billion barrels of proved recoverable oil, with a higher potential (4–6 billion barrels) if undeveloped fields are tapped. Offshore gas reserves are likely 500 billion to 1 trillion cubic feet, with potential up to 5–7 trillion if restrictions lift.
These are rough estimates because:
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Data is outdated (e.g., 1996 for offshore, 2015 for Monterey).
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California’s moratoriums since 1994 (offshore) and anti-oil policies (onshore) limit new assessments.
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“Proved” reserves depend on economic and technological feasibility, which fluctuates with prices and regulations.
Critical Take
The establishment narrative—pushing California toward renewables and away from fossil fuels—downplays these reserves’ potential. Governor Newsom’s 2045 phase-out plan and local bans on new wells (e.g., 2024 laws) suppress development, likely understating reserves by discouraging exploration. Meanwhile, California imports 85% of its natural gas and over 75% of its crude oil, despite sitting on significant domestic resources. This suggests a deliberate policy choice, not a lack of reserves. Conversely, industry estimates (e.g., 1996 USGS) might overstate recoverable amounts to justify drilling, so skepticism is warranted on both sides.
Democratic Party Representative Salud Carbajal has reintroduced the California Clean Coast Act into the US Congress.
The California Clean Coast Act would permanently ban future offshore oil and gas leasing in areas of the Outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California.
The act was the first bill the congressman introduced as a member of Congress in an attempt to protect the state’s coast from offshore drilling and the devastating impact of oil spills.
“Santa Barbara knows firsthand how devastating oil spills can be on our marine ecosystems and coastline,” said Carbajal. “I’m proud to lead this bill to ban future offshore oil drilling in our state and ensure California’s world-famous coastline is protected for future generations to enjoy.”
“The California Clean Coast Act is critical to protecting our coast and climate from the threats of offshore oil drilling. From the 1969 blowout at Platform A to the 2015 pipeline spill along the Gaviota Coast, the California Coast has suffered the devastating effects of offshore oil development on communities who live, play, and work here. The California Clean Coast Act will preserve our precious coast from the threats of future oil spills and climate change,” added Linda Krop, chief counsel of the Environmental Defence Centre.
At the end of the Biden administration, Carbajal’s eight-year push to ban future offshore oil drilling came to fruition when president Biden invoked his authority to protect over 2.5m sq km of federal waters from oil and gas exploration. Congressman Carbajal was one of 12 members of Congress who wrote to President Biden requesting this action before the end of his term.
Several Republican-led states, Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, and Mississippi, filed a lawsuit to challenge Biden’s offshore drilling ban.
After moving into the White House, US president Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the National Energy Dominance Council focused on boosting the country’s production and export of fossil fuels. The new council, headed by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, will be granted authority over federal agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation, and transportation. Burgum was also directed to undo Biden’s ban on future offshore oil drilling.
Carbajal’s bill is partnering with a pair of bills introduced in the Senate that aim to permanently block oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The combo package of legislations includes the West Coast Ocean Protection Act, introduced by Senator Alex Padilla, and the Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism Anti-Drilling Act, introduced by Senators Cory Booker and Jack Reed.
Padilla’s bill would permanently prohibit new oil and gas leases for offshore drilling off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington state. The Booker and Reed bill would permanently bar the Interior Department or any of its agencies from issuing leases for the exploration, development, or production of oil and gas in the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida Planning Areas of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.
Source: Splash247.com
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