New York Post opinion piece, on Climate, 2 November 2026

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Gavin Newsom's war on fossil fuels is only making your life cost more

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Gavin Newsom imposed a secret ban on fracking — even as energy and gas prices in California skyrocketed. That’s the ruling by Kern County Judge Bernard Barmann Jr., who recently blocked both the secret ban from 2021 and the formal one Newsom imposed in 2024. Fracking — short for hydraulic fracturing — is a way to extract oil and gas from deposits that are otherwise difficult to reach. It has revolutionized the American energy industry and launched the US as a global superpower in natural gas.

It could also boost oil and gas production right here in California, creating jobs, lowering energy prices and producing cleaner fuel than would be produced anywhere else in the world. But Newsom has declared war on the fossil fuel industry, and has been determined to drive it out of business. All of it was part of an aggressive “climate change” agenda meant to impress the environmental lobby. In addition to aggressive regulation, he tried to make extracting and refining petroleum products almost impossible in California.

He could not push legislation through Sacramento, so he acted, quietly, to shut down permits. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to have it both ways: To show the “green” lobby that he opposes fossil fuels, and to show consumers he cares about their pocketbooks. AP Photo/Reba Saldanha Newsom didn’t suspend or repeal the gas tax, but he allowed the state to switch, earlier than usual, to the cheaper, winter blend of fuel. Getty Images A whistleblower from California’s Geologic Energy Management Division, or CalGEM, claimed the governor’s office was insisting valid permits for fracking be denied.

Officials who tried to grant permits were allegedly moved out of the way. And, of course, every time gas prices went up — largely due to California’s own policies — Newsom would blame the greed of the oil companies, rather than lowering the gas tax. Refineries have closed, oil companies have moved out of the state and Newsom’s administration is busy attacking or suing the few companies that dare to operate in California. Of course, as the midterm elections neared — the unofficial launch date for the 2028 presidential primaries — Newsom intervened to lower gas prices.

He didn’t suspend or repeal the gas tax, but he allowed the state to switch, earlier than usual, to the cheaper, winter blend of fuel . And after vowing to drive the oil and gas industry out of places where it had been for more than a century, like Baldwin Hills, he tried to encourage increased production in Kern County. Newsom is trying to have it both ways: To show the “green” lobby that he opposes fossil fuels, and to show consumers he cares about their pocketbooks.

Judge Barmann showed just how aggressive, and questionable, Newsom’s tactics have been. Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters California Post News : Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , X , YouTube , WhatsApp , LinkedIn California Post Sports Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , YouTube , X California Post Opinion California Post Newsletters : Sign up here! California Post App : Download here! Home delivery : Sign up here!

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About this analysis

This is a New York Post editorial attacking Gavin Newsom's fracking ban and energy policy after a Kern County judge blocked both the 2021 permit freeze and the 2024 formal ban. It argues that his policies push up prices. That argument is its own to make, and none of its factual claims matches an entry in our climate register or is contradicted by the material supplied. It attributes the whistleblower's account and the claims about officials rather than stating them as fact, and nothing in it misleads in a way our standard for opinion pieces covers.

Opinion piece: read for false claims of fact and for fairness to the people it names, not for its opinions.

What it gets right

  • “That’s the ruling by Kern County Judge Bernard Barmann Jr., who recently blocked both the secret ban from 2021 and the formal one Newsom imposed in 2024.”

    The editorial names the judge and the court and says what the ruling blocked, so a reader can check the basis for its main charge.

  • “A whistleblower from California’s Geologic Energy Management Division, or CalGEM, claimed the governor’s office was insisting valid permits for fracking be denied.”

    The editorial attributes the allegation to a named source and marks it as a claim, rather than stating it as established fact.

  • “Officials who tried to grant permits were allegedly moved out of the way.”

    The word allegedly keeps an unproven accusation against officials clearly marked as an allegation.

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