"Thirty years ago, Willie Cruz was shocked when he learned the Southern California oil refinery where he worked was shutting down. Cruz, now a 61-year-old living in Arizona, had spent five years working in the environmental department when Powerine Oil Company said it would close the plant in Santa Fe Springs, southeast of Los Angeles. Cruz feared getting laid off again if he stayed in the industry."
"California's leading Democrats are grappling with how to confront lost jobs and high gas prices that the oil industry says are the result of the state's climate policies. State energy regulators are negotiating to keep the Valero plant open and recently backed off a proposal to penalize oil companies for high profits, while Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation to speed oil well permitting in the Central Valley."
Refinery closures in California are prompting worker transitions and raising concerns about large-scale job losses. Longtime refinery employees have shifted careers with federal training support, while current workers face imminent plant shutdowns. Multiple refinery closures could remove a significant portion of state refining capacity and strain fuel supplies. State leaders are balancing climate-driven policies with economic impacts and gasoline prices, with regulators negotiating to keep some plants open and lawmakers adjusting permitting and penalty proposals. Mixed policy signals and industry actions have left refinery workers uncertain about long-term employment and community economic stability.
Read at ABC30 Fresno
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