The cracks are showing in California’s Big Oil block politi.co/4z4o5dg

Phillips 66 is going its own way in California.

SACRAMENTO, California — Big Oil wields immense power in California politics, and has been a thorn in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s side for years.

Now, there’s a crack in the coalition’s unified front. That could have major ramifications for the future of oil in the state.

In August, Phillips 66, a behemoth international energy firm and one of the most powerful players in California’s oil industry, announced plans for a first-ever pipeline to carry gasoline and other refined fuels into California.

The new project has the potential to loosen the iron grip that California’s major oil refiners have on the state’s fuel market by establishing a new source of gasoline for a state that has, for decades, relied on local producers.