Energy Secretary Chris Wright has slammed Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s (D) clean energy push in California, refuting the administration’s claims that the state’s power grid is supported by clean energy infrastructure.
Gas Makes Up 70% of California’s Energy Consumption
In a post on X on Tuesday, Wright quoted a post by Newsom that said that California has “run on 100% CLEAN ENERGY for at least part of the day” nine out of 10 days in 2026. The Energy Secretary questioned the claims.
“If only the Governor or his team understood the difference between electricity and energy,” Wright said, California “wouldn’t have the highest electricity prices in the continental U.S.”
Wright added that the state’s electricity grid was “producing less electricity than it did 10 years ago,” and that “more than 70%” of the state’s total energy consumption came from “oil and natural gas.”
Newsom had earlier slammed the Trump-led Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for rolling back greenhouse gas emission limits for fossil fuel power plants. The California Governor said that the state “will keep fighting” and pointed to litigation over the EPA’s decision.
Gavin Newsom Touts E15 Gasoline
Amid high fuel prices, Newsom’s administration, on Monday, announced that California had introduced new legislation to roll out E15 gasoline in the state. E15 gas consists of 15% Ethanol and 85% Gasoline. The blend has been touted as a better, cleaner alternative to traditional gas.
Earlier this month, the California Governor had slammed Trump as well as Wright, saying that the administration knew of the impact the Strait of Hormuz’s closure would have on fuel costs for ordinary Americans, but did nothing to deter the impact of high fuel costs.
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