California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has done a flip-flop on oil production, with the state facing steep gas price hikes, and is now trying to work with the fossil fuel industry to produce more fuel rather than stopping it.

The abrupt shift is a dramatic one for a governor who has attacked the fossil fuel industry throughout his six-plus years in office, and who has to appease climate change activists in his state and the Democratic Party.

The main reason for Newsom’s about-face is the prospect of rising gas prices, thanks to taxes (backed by Newsom), rising environmental fuel standards (backed by Newsom), and the departure of oil refineries.

Some experts have predicted prices could rise as high as $8 or $9 per gallon, making the nation’s costliest gas market even pricier, and hurting th

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