Energy and Interior secretaries defend restarting offshore wells, fault California policy for high prices

Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended restarting long‑idle wells off California during a live interview at the Sable offshore oil project, saying the move strengthens energy security and helps lower prices.

Wright said the administration used the Defense Production Act to bring previously drilled wells back online, arguing that simply "turning a valve" increased California's oil and gas production by about 20 percent. "This platform, these are wells drilled decades ago just sitting there idle. We used the Defense Production Act to bring that production on," Wright said, adding that the action improves supply for military facilities and state consumers.

The secretaries framed the step as a short‑term supply response amid tight global markets. Wright defended prior Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) activity, saying it was appropriate to release barrels into the market when needed and that the administration has arrangements to replenish the SPR. "It is unfortunate that the Biden administration drew over 200 million barrels of oil from our strategic petroleum reserve... But no, I'm not concerned because we're not selling any barrels of oil. We're flowing oil to the marketplace in the short term when it needs it," Wright said, and he added the administration expects to add 40 million barrels back to the SPR under deals he described as worth more than $3 billion. These figures are as stated by Wright in the interview and were not independently verified in the segment.

Burgum pressed a political and economic case against state policy, saying modern technology makes offshore drilling safe and arguing Californians pay higher prices because of state regulations. "If you care about the environment, you should want to have all the energy produced here," Burgum said, and he attributed higher gasoline costs to California policy rather than overseas conflict. He also said refinery capacity in California has fallen over time, listing a decline from 40 refineries to a handful. Burgum asserted that California imports much of its oil — calling that a national security risk — and stated that "the number one importer into California at on February 1st of this year, 2026, was Iraq." That specific importer claim was made on air by Burgum and is reported here as he stated it.

The secretaries tied their energy agenda to broader economic and geopolitical goals. Burgum characterized the administration's approach as pursuing "energy addition" and "energy abundance," saying cheaper domestic energy helps U.S. manufacturing and competitiveness.

Governor Gavin Newsom’s opposition to the offshore project was noted by the interviewer but did not appear in these remarks; the governor or California officials did not respond in the recorded segment. Likewise, the interview includes assertions about prior SPR releases, refinery counts and import sources that were presented by the secretaries and are reported here as stated; the program did not include independent verification or on‑air rebuttals.

The interview closed without any formal action taken on the Sable project during the segment; the appearance served as a public defense of the administration's energy posture and a critique of state regulation.