What happened in this Energy story?

California oil and gas companies spent a record $17 million on lobbying in the first half of 2026 to fight climate and worker-safety legislation, even as Chevron and Exxon posted massive Q2 profits fueled by Hormuz-related supply disruptions.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**Oil and gas companies** spent more than $17 million on California lobbying in the first half of 2026 — a record $10.3 million in Q1 plus $6.8 million in Q2 — with the Western States Petroleum Association ($4.3M), Chevron ($3.7M), and Phillips 66 (just over $500K) leading the spend, per the Last Chance Alliance.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Chevron** reported $12 billion in Q2 net profits (nearly 5x year-ago) and **Exxon Mobil** reported $14.5 billion (more than double), driven by supply disruptions tied to the monthslong closure of the Strait of Hormuz that benefited non-strait-dependent producers.

📎 SkimNews has covered California 12+ times · see the file →

Big Oil spends record $17M to block California climate bills — SkimNews

By Grist · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-08-27

Get the Energy newsletter

Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.

Oil and gas companies spent more than $17 million on California lobbying in the first half of 2026 — a record $10.3 million in Q1 plus $6.8 million in Q2 — with the Western States Petroleum Association ($4.3M), Chevron ($3.7M), and Phillips 66 (just over $500K) leading the spend, per the Last Chance Alliance.
Chevron reported $12 billion in Q2 net profits (nearly 5x year-ago) and Exxon Mobil reported $14.5 billion (more than double), driven by supply disruptions tied to the monthslong closure of the Strait of Hormuz that benefited non-strait-dependent producers.
Industry lobbying helped defeat SB 982 (which would have let the state attorney general sue fossil fuel companies for climate-disaster damages), SB 1245 (gas supply stabilization), and a bill making it harder to abandon California's 100,000-plus methane-leaking oil wells.
The sector successfully pushed California regulators to approve free pollution permits under the cap-and-invest program, a change environmental groups argue could deprive the state of billions in funding for public transit and housing and that is now facing legal challenge.
Chevron CEO Mike Wirth told CNBC in late July that threats to oil supplies are 'straining' the company, while Chevron has simultaneously blamed California energy policies for high gas prices and deflected price-gouging accusations; WSPA declined to comment to Grist.
Advocates called for tighter lobbying limits in Sacramento: The Climate Center's Ryan Schleeter urged cutting public subsidies including cap-and-invest free allocations and tax loopholes, while the Center for Biological Diversity's Hollin Kretzmann said industry influence is why 'policies in California don't reflect the will of the people.'

Why it matters: Lobbying wins translated into concrete policy losses: defeated SB 982 would have let California sue fossil fuel companies for climate-related disaster damages, and the approved free-pollution-permits mechanism could cost the state billions in transit and housing funding. With Chevron's Q2 profits nearly 5x year-ago and Exxon's more than doubled, the industry's record spending coincided with record returns.