The Pipeline That Could Finally Cut California's Grip on Nevada's Gas Tank
Last December, I wrote a piece for Nevada News & Views making a simple argument.
Nevada didn't need a Hollywood studio giveaway. It needed energy independence from California.
I said Nevada could expand pipeline access from other states and stop living at the mercy of Sacramento's refinery closures.
Some people treated it like a talking point. A nice idea. Not a real plan.
I'm here to tell you it's real. And it's happening right now.
The Problem Hasn't Gone Away
Nevada still gets roughly 88 percent of its gasoline from California refineries.
In Las Vegas, it's even worse. Nearly 90 percent of our fuel runs through a single pipeline, the CALNEV line, straight from Los Angeles.
When that pipeline hiccups, we don't just feel it. We get slammed.
In 2023, Governor Lombardo had to declare a state of emergency when CALNEV shut down.
It's happened again since, this time from wildfires.
Every closure. Every leak. Every fire. Nevada drivers pay the price for a state we don't even vote in.
The Fix Is Already Under Construction
Here's what's changed since December.
Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan are building the Western Gateway Pipeline. It runs 1,300 miles from the Texas Panhandle to Phoenix.
And it connects straight into the CALNEV system that already feeds Las Vegas.
That means Texas fuel, not just California fuel, could soon be flowing into our valley.
At the same time, H.F. Sinclair is looking at expanding its UNEV pipeline from Utah. That's the same Utah route I pointed to last year.
Sinclair's plan could add 35,000 barrels a day into Las Vegas, plus a new line up to Reno.
Governor Lombardo's own Fuel Resiliency Committee has been meeting on exactly this problem. Multiple pipeline companies are already at the table.
One thing the committee has said is worth repeating. It's probably going to take two or three separate pipeline projects, not just one, to actually fix this.
That's not a pipe dream. That’s economic development. That's a project with real customers already lined up, signed commitments, and companies putting money down.”
Lombardo Asked. Ford Refused.
Here's the part Nevadans really need to hear.
Governor Lombardo didn't just sit back and hope pipelines would fix this on their own.
He personally asked Attorney General Aaron Ford to challenge California's refinery mandates in court, the same mandates that are choking off our fuel supply and driving up what you pay at the pump.
Ford refused.
That's not my characterization. That's straight from Lombardo's own campaign, on the record.
It gets worse. Republican AG candidate Adriana Guzmán Fralick sent Ford a formal demand letter back in March, telling him bluntly to sue California or explain to Nevada voters why he won't.
Her words were direct: “California does not have the right to strangle Nevada's fuel pipeline and leave our families with no recourse.”
Ford's response? Nothing. No lawsuit. No public answer to the letter.
Instead, a few months later, Ford was fundraising in Nevada with Gavin Newsom himself, the very governor whose policies triggered this mess in the first place.
Let that sink in. Nevada's top law enforcement officer had a direct request from our governor to fight for lower gas prices. He said no.
Then he took a check from the man responsible for the problem.
What This Has to Do with Hollywood
Last November, Carson City Democrats tried to hand $1.8 billion in tax credits to Hollywood studios. My opponent, State Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, voted for it.
I opposed it from day one.
I said these massive studios didn't need Nevada's money, and that the whole deal rested on promises from companies that look out for themselves first.
This summer, Nevada's own Democrat Attorney General sued one of the very companies my opponent wanted to subsidize.
I was right about the Hollywood Handout. And I was right about where Nevada's real priorities should be.
Imagine if that $1.8 billion would go toward energy infrastructure instead of movie studios.
Imagine Nevada putting its own tax dollars behind pipeline capacity, fuel storage, and real energy security, instead of a giveaway to Sony and Warner Bros.
Nevada Can Still Choose the Right Priority
We don't control what happens in Sacramento. We do control what we fund in Carson City.
And we control who we put in office to fight for us.
Nevada families don't need Hollywood glamour. They need to fill up their tanks without wondering if a fire in California is about to spike their prices again.
They need an Attorney General willing to actually use the office to protect them, not one who refuses a direct request from the governor and then cashes a check from the problem.
The pipelines being built right now prove it can be done. Private companies are already doing the work.
Nevada just needs leaders willing to back it, not leaders who dodge the fight and take Newsom's money instead.
I said it in December. I'll keep saying it until Carson City listens: Nevada doesn't need a Hollywood studio. It needs energy independence from California.
And for the first time, we have real proof that it's within reach.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. Digital technology may have been used in the research, writing, or production of this article. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
