An oil refinery displays an American flag in Wilmington, Calif., on Sept. 21, 2022. Allison Dinner/Getty Images
LOS ANGELES—California legislators on Aug. 20 considered a plan that would dramatically loosen restrictions on drilling and refining oil in the state, as it scrambles to reconcile ambitious climate goals with the sobering reality of continuing demand for conventional transport fuels.
The plan comes at the urging of California Gov. Gavin Newsom—a major shift from his hardline decarbonization stance that would have seemed unlikely a year ago.
