Newsom Courts Big Oil as Gas Prices Threaten Political Ambitions

Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom stood before Californians and declared the oil industry the “polluted heart of this climate crisis.” Big Oil, he said, was lying, manipulating and profiteering. “They’re screwing you,” he added, after signing a bill to bolster oversight.

Months later, one of Newsom’s top energy regulators was dispatched on a plane to America’s petroleum heartland, on a mission to placate the oil companies threatening to flee California.