California deploys new way to get gas into struggling state — not used for over 100 years

An old method of receiving oil is coming back to California.

The Trump administration is allowing foreign-registered oil ships to transport oil between US ports, subverting a 1920 law banning the practice.

The method allows the Golden State to obtain desperately needed gas in huge quantities that cannot be supplied by in-state pipelines.

California has no access to interstate pipelines, which would allow the state to receive much more oil and is how it is moved around many other parts of the country.

Gavin Newsom has opposed pipeline openings due to environmental concerns. Newsom has opposed the extra oil despite the exorbitant price of gas in California, which is among the highest in the nation due to the lack of oil and additional gas taxes placed on the commodity.

A regular gallon of gasoline costs an average of $5.84 statewide on Thursday, according to AAA.

Foreign ships are allowed to transport goods between US ports under rare exemptions, like during a hurricane, but California is rarely affected by the weather phenomenon.

The Trump administration has a waiver in place for the oil transport until May 17, though they’re considering extending it, according to Axios.

White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Axios no final decisions have been made on whether to extend the Jones Act waiver, but the administration has mitigated cost increases and “the data reveals more supply has reached U.S. ports faster.”

Nine oil and gas shipments, which can contain millions of gallons of fuel, have arrived in Los Angeles and the Port of Martinez near San Francisco. The next shipment will arrive in Martinez on April 29, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The ships were registered to the Marshall Islands, Denmark and Liberia. The Trump administration is confident the shipments will lower gas prices.

“This action will allow vital resources like oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal to flow freely to U.S. ports for sixty days,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X.

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