Valero Will Import Fuel Into the Bay Area After it Idles Benicia Refinery in April

January 7, 2026

CBS News and More

Severin Borenstein, Energy Institute Faculty Director, explains in CBS News how Valero’s decision to idle its Benicia refinery reflects a structural, long-term decline in gasoline demand in California, making continued refinery operations increasingly uneconomical despite ongoing fuel needs.

“Severin Borenstein, a professor at UC Berkeley and the faculty director of their energy institute, said he saw the move coming…’The demand for Californian gasoline is declining, and refineries have been talking for a long time about their financial viability as California uses less and less gasoline,’ Borenstein said.”

Read more on the Valero Refinery Shutdown in The Mercury News and The Press Democrat

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