So Why Pick On Californians?

President Bush must be listening to a lot of tall tales from his oil industry friends about energy-profligate Californians. He is pondering whether to resume oil and gas drilling off the California coast, and the framework of a new leasing plan disclosed by Interior Department officials Monday suggests he may well say yes. A mistake.

Major misconceptions about the state’s allegedly voracious energy-eating habits are nothing new. Reagan Administration officials had a fine time mocking Californians for driving around in gas-guzzling luxury cars and then whining about offshore oil rigs. The message was that elitist Californians were being downright unpatriotic in their opposition to more offshore drilling, and should pump more of their own oil. But this argument is phony. As Bush ponders the leasing issue, he should consider:

California leads the nation in energy conservation. In 1975, 48% of all California’s electricity was produced by oil-fired plants; now the figure is 1%. In 1975, 62% of all California energy came from petroleum; by 1985, it was only 54%. Home use has declined from 18% of all energy used to 13%. Californians use more alternate forms of energy than all other Americans. The state pioneered new standards in electric appliances. From 1973 to 1985, Californians accounted for 15% of all the nation’s energy savings.

Meanwhile, California produces more oil than all but three other states. The oil companies still have more than 100 offshore oil leases that have yet to be drilled. While federal officials insist that California produce more oil for national energy security, Southern California Lease Sale 95, now under consideration by Bush, would produce a maximum of 155,000 barrels a day (compared with imports of nearly 8 million barrels). The 1985 federal rollback in auto mileage standards from 27.5 m.p.g. to 26 m.p.g. wasted almost as much oil as the entire lease area could produce. And, as for the allegation that Californians squander fuel in their gas-guzzlers, get this: California autos get 16.9 m.p.g. of gasoline. The national average is 15.8 m.p.g.

The state Energy Commission says there may be three times as much oil left in Kern County as there is in California coastal waters, and the Kern oil should be drilled first because of environmental safety. We agree. As the environmental President, George Bush should too.

Gas Guzzlers? Cars in California get better gas mileage (MPG-miles per gallon) than the national average MPG Ca. 15: 16.9 U.S. 15: 15.8 Source: Calif. Energy Commission