Christine Luther Zimmerman is Director of California Regulatory Affairs at the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), where she provides strategic leadership on complex regulatory and policy issues affecting California’s energy industry. With more than 25 years of experience spanning energy, environmental policy, engineering, and geology, Christine works at the intersection of technical expertise, regulatory strategy, and stakeholder engagement to advance practical, durable solutions to California’s most challenging issues.

Christine leads WSPA’s California Air Committee and plays a significant role in the association’s engagement with state and regional air regulators. She is deeply involved in California’s Community Air Protection Program (AB 617), serving as an industry member of the California Air Resources Board’s Community Air Protection Consultation Group and participating in air district committees. Through these roles, she works collaboratively with regulators, communities, and industry stakeholders to inform policy development and implementation. She also leads WSPA’s engagement on methane policy at the federal, state, and regional levels.

Christine leads WSPA’s California State Water Committee and is actively engaged in issues involving groundwater quality, water supply, salinity, PFAS, and emerging regulatory challenges. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Central Valley Salinity Coalition and the Kern Water Collaborative, bringing an energy-industry perspective to broader water policy discussions. Her work emphasizes science-based decision-making, effective stakeholder partnerships, and regulatory approaches that protect environmental and community interests while recognizing the operational realities of California’s energy system.

Across her portfolio, Christine works to build strategic relationships and bring WSPA’s technical expertise to bear in legislative and regulatory proceedings. She is particularly focused on identifying opportunities for constructive engagement, developing consensus among diverse stakeholders, and translating complex technical and regulatory issues into effective advocacy strategies.

A first-generation college graduate, Christine was born and raised in Taft, California. She attended Taft Community College before earning degrees in Geology and Geological Engineering from California State University, Bakersfield, and the University of Nevada, Reno. She has spent most of her career working on energy policy, environmental regulation, engineering, and community issues. Christine lives in Bakersfield with her husband and daughter.