Fact Check: Is it true that California has only six weeks of gas left?

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: As gas prices continue to rise due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions, a rumor has been circulating that the state of California has only six weeks of gasoline left, sparking panic and speculation. Let us analyse the origins of the rumor and fact-check the authenticity of the claim.

Claim: California has only six weeks of gasoline left

The rumor was sparked by a viral social media post. "According to testimony by experts during the State Energy Commission hearing today at the Capitol in Sacramento, California, only has ‘enough’ oil and gas supply to meet demand for the next six weeks," said one May 6 X post. 

"There is no plan in place to supply more oil to California if the Straight of Hormuz (sic) does not reopen in the time, allowing oil tankers to deliver to #California, and therefore prices are expected to spike even higher." 

The claim was amplified after some news outlets covered it. This comes days after the news of the last tanker that arrived in the state’s port of Long Beach, which traveled from the Middle East before Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Fact Check: The claim missed key context

Although the six-week timeline is real, the post missed the context. The testimony was given by  Siva Gunda, a member of the California Energy Commission whose duties include overseeing energy assessments, to a May 5 oversight hearing of the California Assembly’s Utilities and Energy Committee.  

This does not mean the gasoline supply would drop to zero at the six-week mark, but rather the timeline by which experts can forecast with the most certainty.  

Each day, new shipments can arrive, and more crude oil can be refined into gasoline, allowing the six-week supply window to keep extending over time. 

“It’s a constantly rolling period,” said Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis for the gasoline price tracker GasBuddy.  

During the hearing, the commission presented data showing that California’s gasoline supply is at a normal level compared to previous years, and the estimate includes fuel already available in the state.

White House says energy disruptions were anticipated 

Responding to questions about anxiety within the administration over energy market volatility, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said President Donald Trump and his energy team had anticipated “short-term disruptions” resulting from “Operation Epic Fury.” 

“The president and his energy team anticipated these short-term disruptions to the global energy markets from Operation Epic Fury and had a plan prepared to mitigate these disruptions,” Rogers said in a statement to CBS News.