The state of California’s jet fuel stock has dropped to just over 2.6 million barrels as of 17 April, from 3.2 million barrels two years prior, according to the California energy commission (CEC), which publishes a refinery stocks data dashboard.
The Guardian reports that California received 61.1% of its oil supply from foreign sources in 2025, a majority of whom are Asian refiners. The foreign dependence is a shift from the early 1990s, when nearly half of America’s most populous state’s oil supply came from state-owned refineries, a change that some energy researchers attribute to air quality regulations.
That supply has been disrupted, however, by the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran. Since the war’s outbreak on February 28, jet fuel prices have climbed and supply has faltered, as commercial shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively halted.
U.S. states stockpile fuel, including jet fuel, for purposes of emergency preparedness, a cushion against price shocks, and to provide security of supply in case of logistics issues.
California’s refining capacity has also been declining, said Jesus David, senior vice president of Energy at IIR Energy, quoted in The Los Angeles Times, falling from 2.9 million to 2.3 million barrels a day since 2019.
The West Coast is characterized as a “fuel island” because it’s not connected by pipelines to the rest of the country, meaning oil and refined products have to be brought in by ships.
