Historical policy missteps have left California vulnerable to increasing oil prices. Decades of policy decisions did, leaving the state’s fuel supply with almost no margin for geopolitical shock. California’s refining equipment, configured for thick, high-sulfur feedstock, does not easily accommodate lighter grades, such as most crude oil extracted domestically in the continental United States. The Jones Act restricts domestic maritime shipping to U.S.-flagged vessels, further limiting California’s ability to source finished gasoline from Gulf Coast refiners. California’s gasoline price problem predates the current conflict—the war has simply made the underlying policy failures impossible to ignore.