Does anyone know if the West Coast still gets it's oil from Alaska??

Question

If we do, why are we having to pay such high gas prices from sources we don't even use?

Answer 1

Maybe some...Some crude is grown right here in CA - off the coast and in the San Joaquin Valley around Bakersfield.

There are no independent sellers of oil...It is marketed as a 'futures' commodity meaning the price of oil today is actually for oil that has not been pulled out of the ground yet...And the price of oil is a guess on what the projected supply and demand will be...If a refinery is broken or conflict breaks out in an oil producing country, that immediately affects the supply side and the price of end items like gas, jet fuel, plastics, etc. are adjusted up...The demand for oil products drops (work from home, public transport), then the price will drop.

This is a very simplified explanation of a very complex issue...Hope it helps.