SACRAMENTO, California — California energy officials adopted rules Wednesday requiring oil businesses to disclose detailed information about their operations to the state, over industry objections that the move could put pressure on already-struggling refineries.
What happened: The California Energy Commission voted to make permanent emergency data collection regulations the agency adopted from February 2024 through February 2025.
Under the rules, oil industry businesses are required to submit information to the state regarding transactions on the wholesale spot market, refiners’ costs and profits, petroleum imports to California, the ownership of products held at merchant terminals, and quarterly projections of the receipt and distribution of supplies.
Why it matters: The data collection rules are the latest front in a battle that has been playing out between the oil industry, which wants to trim regulations, and environmental advocates, who want the state to crack down on petroleum producers. Meanwhile, state officials say that this information will be critical to their efforts to prevent gasoline price spikes.
