California Assemblyman Stan Ellis is warning that California may have reached the "point of no return"—but Oregon passed this point decades ago when it shut down ALL its refineries and can never rebuild them. This video exposes how Ellis's bombshell report co-authored with USC Professor Michael Mische and Navy veteran Mike Ariza defines the "point of no return" as the moment when refining infrastructure cannot be rebuilt once skilled workers scatter, specialized equipment is decommissioned, and decades of knowledge are lost. Discover why California still has 8 operating refineries (down from 40+ in 1991) and approaching the point of no return while Oregon has had ZERO refineries since its last one closed in 2008—17 years of no refining capacity with zero chance of rebuilding. Learn how Oregon's mid-1980s decision to prioritize environmental regulations over energy security led to systematic dismantling of refining infrastructure that would cost $7+ billion and take 8-12 years minimum to rebuild (if anyone would even invest in Oregon's hostile regulatory climate), why Governor Kotek's November 24, 2025 fuel emergency declaration after the Olympic Pipeline leak revealed complete confusion about Oregon's worse position than California's, and how Ellis warned "if China or Russia decides to pull the plug on India getting crude for us, it's catastrophic—we're talking about military preparedness affected and gas lines." We'll explore why Phillips 66 and Valero closures eliminate 20% of California's capacity (284,000 barrels/day) directly threatening Oregon's Washington suppliers who provide 90% of Oregon's fuel via the Olympic Pipeline, how Washington's 5 refineries face the same climate policies collapsing California with Phillips 66 dumping $3B in West Coast assets and Ferndale refinery (105,000 barrels/day—Oregon's entire demand) next on the chopping block, and what USC predictions of $8-12/gallon California gas mean for Oregon's $7-9/gallon future. Examine why Oregon's 100% import dependency with no inbound pipelines except Olympic from Washington makes the state a "fuel island" more vulnerable than California which still has refining infrastructure to potentially save, and whether Oregon's 40-year process of destroying its own fuel independence means there's no reversing the "point of no return" when you've already passed it decades ago.
