Newsom, by continually decreasing in-state oil production, has the state dependent on the maritime sector for importing foreign oil that adds, every year, more than twice the annual GHG emissions than the entire Californian transportation sector!

Published March 27, 2022 at Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow   https://www.cfact.org/2022/03/27/newsoms-energy-regulations-have-oil-tankers-emitting-more-than-twice-what-all-of-californias-vehicle-fleet-do/

By Ronald Stein  Ambassador for Energy & Infrastructure, Irvine, California

California’s crude oil demands have been increasing year over year, since 1995, except for pandemic years, but given that maritime transportation is one of the greatest contributors of GHG emissions, Governor Newsom continues his mission to continually decrease in-state oil production, so California and the nation can be further dependent on imports via maritime transportation from foreign countries for the State’s crude oil energy demands.

In international waters, the maritime fleet fuel consumption and emissions remains one of the least regulated parts of our global transportation system. The fuel used in ships is waste oil, what is left over after the crude oil refining process. It is the same as asphalt and is so thick that when cold it can be walked upon.

There are over 50,000 merchant ships trading internationally, transporting every kind of cargo. The world fleet is registered in over 150 nations and manned by over a million seafarers of virtually every nationality.

The low-grade bunker fuel used by the worlds merchant ships is the cheapest and most polluting fuel available. The maritime fuel is consumed not by the gallons, but by tons per hour and contains up to 2,000 times the amount of sulfur compared to diesel fuel used in automobiles.

As a result of continuously decreasing in-state oil production, California has increased imported crude oil from foreign countries from 5 percent in 1992 to 58 percent today of total consumption.

In 2018, California imported a whopping 364,367,000 barrels of crude oil from foreign countries. Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC’s) can transport 2 million barrels of crude oil.

Using smaller capacity oil tankers would require more tankers and generate even greater emissions.

Governor Newsom continues to “leak” emissions and air quality responsibilities to developing countries halfway around the world, the same countries that have virtually non-existent environmental regulations nor labor controls to protect the local workers in those developing countries.

Regarding California’s Energy Crisis, blame Sacramento, Not Moscow. California’s politicians and policy makers eagerly emulated Europe’s energy policies for years. Like Europe, California overinvested in breezes and sunshine for electricity, underinvested in crude oil, prematurely shuttered its baseload power plants, and relied overwhelmingly on imported crude oil from foreign countries, and electricity imports from neighboring states. Now, as Europe is ensnared in Vladimir Putin’s energy trap, Californians watch as the state’s energy prices head toward the stratosphere.

A Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) report, commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute (API), reinforces how the natural gas and oil industry—in California in particular—is critical to economic revitalization and opportunities for job creation. According to the findings, in 2019, the industry directly and indirectly:

Rather than producing oil in the most environmentally controlled location in the world, in California, the Governor remains oblivious to the negative impact to the world’s emissions from oil tankers, and the negative impacts to the health of the 8 billion on this planet that result from importing oil via polluting oil tankers. In addition, Newsom withholds the many of the economic benefits identified by PwC that would be available to Californians.

There is some good news developing out of that Maritime GHG emissions dark tunnel, as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has implemented new regulations to reduce CO2 emissions 50 percent by 2050 from 2008 levels. But the International Chamber of Shipping stated that by 2050 two-thirds of ALL ships will still be burning the same fuel they do today!!

To help the IMO achieve their emission reduction goals, I found a company, Steele Environmental, that is doing something about the problem today! Founded by Larry Parsons, this company’s ADF fuel catalyst is a drop in, market ready, scalable solution for the global shipping industry that lowers not only CO2 emissions but NO2 and black carbon at the same time! It pays for itself in fuel savings! 

The Steele Environmental ADF fuel catalyst, when implemented, will help make the maritime fuels green and alleviate the GHG emissions that Newsom is inflicting upon the world’s atmosphere. Pollution does NOT stop at our borders! Stop polluting the oceans thinking California air is clean. We need to support companies like Steele Environmental that are doing something to address the GHG emissions of the maritime fleet instead of government trying to force restrictions on fossil fuel use.

California’s Governor Newsom insists on continuous efforts to “leak” emissions and air quality responsibilities to developing countries halfway around the world for California’s crude oil demands. This “leakage” has increased the use of maritime transportation that has resulted in California being a huge contributor to worldwide GHG emissions! I hope California’s Governor Newsom can sleep peacefully!

Ronald Stein, P.E.

Ambassador for Energy & Infrastructure

http://www.energyliteracy.net/