Nevada governor fires warning shot at Gavin Newsom over oil crisis

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo raised alarm bells in a lengthy letter Monday to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, warning him of “real-world consequences” for his anti-oil policies.

“I write to you now to express concerns regarding the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) draft Cap-and-Invest regulation and raise awareness around the significant implications it may have for fuel supply stability across the Western United States, particularly for Nevada,” the letter read, requesting Newsom’s “support encouraging CARB to weigh the regional implications of changes to the Cap-and-Invest regulations.”

“Nevada is structurally dependent on California’s refining system,” Lombardo wrote.

Nevada relies on California for approximately 88% of its transportation fuels — gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

These fuels are supplied mainly via the CALNEV Pipeline, which connects Southern California refineries to Las Vegas.

While Nevada has limited oil production of its own, it is almost entirely dependent on California’s refining capacity.

It comes as gas prices spiked again overnight, leaping another nine cents to an average of $5.29 per gallon across California.

The Republican governor wrote to his Democratic counterpart in the Golden State with one “straightforward” request.

“Any major policy change that could alter refinery economics in California must account for the real-world consequences to neighboring states that depend on that infrastructure,” he said. “Given additional tension in the Middle East, the situation is particularly pressing.”

The letter is in response to draft regulations tied to the state’s Cap-and-Invest Program, overseen by the California Air Resources Board, which sets a statewide cap on greenhouse gas emissions and requires major polluters to purchase allowances for each ton of carbon they emit.

According to the California Energy Commission, the Cap-and-Invest program currently adds about 24 cents per gallon to the cost of gasoline in the Golden State.

Lombardo’s plea to Newsom comes as 15 members of Newsom’s own party — who voted to update the state’s cap-and-invest climate program last year — are now urging regulators to go back to the drawing board on a key part of the policy, warning it could further destabilize the state’s energy market and drive prices even higher.

Fifteen Democratic Assemblymembers sent a letter Monday to the California Air Resources Board asking the agency to reconsider proposed amendments to the state’s cap-and-invest program covering fuels, gas, and electricity.

The Post has reached out to Newsom’s office for comment on both letters.

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