“The cleanest oil fields in the world”: Narratives encouraging oil development in California

Abstract

In recent years, there have been increasing calls for policies that restrict supply of fossil fuels to supplement efforts being made to curb demand. However, the literature on supply-side policies has not paid sufficient attention to widespread anxieties about energy needs being left unmet. In this paper, I demonstrate how the theme of “energy needs” has facilitated narratives encouraging increasing oil production in California, a state otherwise known for its climate leadership ambitions. Through doing so, I also demonstrate how the fossil fuel industry and its supporters have begun to incorporate climate concerns into pro-industry narratives. Taking dependence on fossil fuels for granted, industry supporters use California's tough regulations and “clean” oil to depict the state as a potential hero defending the climate and other moral values through drilling for oil. Ultimately, I discuss the importance of recognizing access to energy as a cherished value; effectively responding to such narratives is essential if supply-side policies are to be widely implemented in the future.