Kontrarian Korner #101 - Mike Ariza

Kontrarian Korner #101 - Mike Ariza

From Kontrarian Korner by Ben Kelleran

April 22, 2026 · 1h 8m

About this episode

Mike Ariza discusses refinery shutdowns and potential fuel shortages in California.

This morning I had Mike Ariza on the podcast for the first time. Mike has spent time in the Navy and he worked at the Chevron $CVX refinery in Richmond, California before spending time at Valero’s $VLO Benicia refinery as the Senior Control Board Supervisor. We talked about the recent shutdowns of multiple refineries, and why California is three to four weeks away from experiencing shortages on top of their already high prices. The federal government is apparently starting to get involved with the Defense Production Act, but we dove into the catastrophic chain reactions that could come from logistics and supply chains issues in California. You can find Mike on Twitter, but he has also been contributing to Gas Crisis , and recently wrote an Op-Ed piece for the California Globe. I would strongly recommend reading the PBF Energy $PBF letter to the state on the Gas Crisis website to see what the companies are saying about the current situation. Podcast Summary * The shutdowns of the Valero refinery in Benicia and the Phillips 66 $PSX refinery in Wilmington. * The shortages that are baked into the cake due to tanker travel times. * How the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz has impacted…

People in this episode

Host: Ben Kelleran

Guest: Mike Ariza

Topics covered

  • refinery shutdowns
  • fuel shortages
  • California energy policy
  • logistics issues
  • Defense Production Act
  • military impact

Keywords

  • refinery shutdowns
  • California fuel prices
  • Defense Production Act
  • logistics
  • energy policy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chevron, Valero, PBF Energy, California Globe

Places: California, Richmond, Benicia, Wilmington, Strait of Hormuz, Nevada

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