Did Newsom just sell out California’s climate? Inside the secret backroom deal that brought oil drills back and promised lower bills.

In a whirlwind session, California lawmakers sent Governor Gavin Newsom a sweeping six‑bill energy and climate package that extends the state’s cap‑and‑trade program to 2045 and rebrands it “cap‑and‑invest,” boosts an $18‑billion wildfire fund and allows new oil drilling while paving the way for a regional power market. Supporters say the deal will keep refineries from closing, ease soaring gasoline and electric bills and direct billions to high‑speed rail and clean‑energy projects, but critics point out that it preserves loopholes letting oil companies avoid paying the full cost of their emissions and shifts billions in wildfire liability onto ratepayers. Business groups worry that taking credits away from natural‑gas customers to give them to electric utilities will hurt families and small renters, while environmental justice organisations denounce the package as a giveaway to polluters that institution alises inequality and leaves low‑income communities to bear the health costs. The plan’s call to join a regional Western electricity market and expand the wildfire fund has also drawn warnings that it could tether California to fossil‑fuel states and lead to higher bills even as it promises a cheaper, more reliable grid. Read more.