(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the petroleum industry is an essential element of the California economy and is therefore of vital importance to the health and welfare of all Californians.
(b) The Legislature further finds and declares that a complete and thorough understanding of the operations of the petroleum industry is required by state government at all times to enable it to respond to possible shortages, oversupplies, or other disruptions and to assess whether all consumers, including emergency service agencies, state and local government agencies, and agricultural and business consumers of petroleum products have adequate and economic supplies of fuel.
(c) The Legislature further finds and declares that information and data concerning all aspects of the petroleum industry, including, but not limited to, crude oil production, production and supplies of finished branded and unbranded gasoline, supplies of diesel fuel and other distillates, supplies of blendstocks used to make gasoline and other refined products, refining, product output, exports of finished gasoline, diesel fuel, and blendstocks, prices, distribution, demand, and investment choices and decisions are essential for the state to develop and administer energy policies that are in the interest of the state’s economy and the public’s well-being.