VICTOR JOECKS: The coming spike in Nevada gas prices

Smart energy policy by President Donald Trump is about to run into the terrible energy policy of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Nevadans shouldn’t expect to escape unscathed.

Late last month, the average price of gasoline nationally dipped below $3 a gallon, according to GasBuddy. The last time that happened was in May 2021. Prices have dropped in all 50 states. In Oklahoma, Colorado and Texas, some stations are even selling gas for less than $2 a gallon.

This didn’t happen by accident. Trump has worked to end President Joe Biden’s war on fossil fuels. On his first day in office, Trump issued an executive order focused on “unleashing American energy.” He succeeded. As supply has gone up, oil prices have gone down.

This is an important victory for Trump. Affordability remains a top voter concern. Trump shouldn’t downplay those concerns. He should point out the source of them. Biden caused a huge spike in inflation by dumping money into the economy and attacking America’s energy industry.

Trump has slowed the rate of inflation. But there hasn’t been a complete return to the prices of 2019, which is what voters really want.

This is where Democrats see their opportunity. They plan to run on affordability — blaming Republicans for not fully reversing the effects of their terrible policies.

How ridiculous that is seems obvious — once someone points it out. But too few Republican elected officials are doing so. Vice President JD Vance is an exception.

What’s likely to happen with Nevada gasoline prices is a perfect example of this. Nevadans pay the sixth-highest pump prices in the country. The average price here is above $3.60. This is because Nevada gets 88 percent of its gasoline from California.

But Newsom has continued California’s assault on fossil fuels. In the early 1990s, California had more than 40 refineries. As the direct result of California’s onerous regulatory environment, there will soon be only seven.

A Phillips 66 refinery will be fully shut down by the end of December. A Valero refinery will close in the coming months. This will result in a more than 15 percent reduction in California’s refining capacity in just two years.

Connect the dots. Trump increased supply and gasoline prices fell. By driving refineries out of business, California will decrease supply. That will push prices upward. Nevada gas could hit $7 a gallon.

Those prices would be the fault of liberal policies, but Gov. Joe Lombardo has done little to make that case. He has sent a letter. In October, he pushed for a subcommittee to look at options. This isn’t enough. He needs to do more to both solve this problem and tell the public what’s on the horizon.

One idea: He should demand his likely gubernatorial opponent, Attorney General Aaron Ford, to sue California for the economic damage its policies are causing. Force Ford to either side with high gasoline prices or acknowledge that the problem is caused by California’s liberal policies.

If Lombardo isn’t proactive, Ford will attack him for the high gasoline prices created by the policies of the Democratic Party.

Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.