Energy secretary says Long Beach field could boost California output; governor's office disputes the framing
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Summary
Energy Secretary Chris Wright told a reporter the Alamitos oil field "could add tens of thousands of barrels a day," a claim reported live from Long Beach as California faces high pump prices; the governor's office called Wright a "taxpayer funded fossil fuel lobbyist."
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an interview aired during a television segment that the Alamitos oil field in Long Beach is a "massive oil accumulation" that could be reworked to add "tens of thousands of barrels a day" to California production, a claim reported live by Kelly Sabiri.
Sabiri, reporting from the Synergy-operated Alamitos field, said the site has capacity to pump about 6,000 barrels a day but was producing roughly 100 barrels a day at the time of her visit. "Right now, get this, they're only pumping 100 barrels a day," Sabiri said, adding that lower local output contributes to both higher pump prices and higher electricity costs for Californians.
Wright, quoted in Sabiri's report, framed the area as underused oil country. "This is just a massive oil accumulation," he said, and told workers on site that with renewed drilling activity the field could quickly add substantial output. He also described his experience in California's oil and gas industry and said the state once ranked among the country's top producers.
Sabiri set those remarks against broader supply pressures she described on the broadcast: she said California imports about 75% of its oil and reported that the recent closure of a Phillips refinery and a scheduled Valero shutdown together represented roughly 17% of the state's gasoline supply (as presented by the reporter).
The governor's office provided a statement to the broadcast that sharply criticized Wright's advocacy. The statement said in part: "we wish America's taxpayer funded fossil fuel lobbyist, Chris Wright, well in his quest to drag America back to the stone age," and warned of public-health harms including "asthma, toxic exposure, black lung, and other devastating costs." The studio host, identified on-air as Degan Marcus, echoed strong language about state policy and said Governor Gavin Newsom's actions and lawsuits have hurt working Californians.
A studio commentator offered a brief price breakdown, noting a roughly 70¢-per-gallon tax component and arguing that limited local supply — not taxes alone — had pushed pump prices higher by about $2 a gallon in the commentator's framing.
The broadcast presented Wright's estimate of producible output and the reporter's on-site observations but did not provide independent verification of the secretary's projection or a detailed technical plan for how the field would be brought to the production levels Wright described. The governor's office statement was included in full on air.
The segment closed without on-air, independent data to confirm production forecasts or an immediate response from the companies named on the broadcast. No formal motions, votes, or government actions were announced during the program.
