Matt Rourke / AP
As gas prices continue to rise, a familiar exercise is taking place: pointing fingers over who is to blame.
Sunday, March 13, 2022 | 3 a.m.
Anyone who drives around Las Vegas is well aware of the out-of-control gas prices, now approaching $5 per gallon.
The national average for a gallon of gas has reached its highest point since July 2008, spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The average price for a gallon of gasoline in Nevada stood at $4.92, according to AAA. The national average was $4.33 as of Friday.
Everyone is pointing fingers over who is to blame.
Democrats have pointed to Russian President Vladimir Putin and global supply chain issues, as well as to the actions of OPEC+, the cartel of oil-producing nations. Republicans are blaming President Joe Biden, who stopped the Keystone XL Pipeline his first day in office.
Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who is running for U.S. Senate, in a Twitter post wrote that “Biden is using high gas prices to strong-arm the American people into accepting their far-left climate agenda.”
While the opposing party loves to blame the president for increases, like Democrats did to George W. Bush or Republicans did to Barack Obama, the reality is not that cut and dried, and the president has little, if any, control over them.
Every president since 2000 has left office with gas prices higher than when they took office, Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic initiatives at the National Association of Convenience Stores, said in an article posted to the group’s website. He, too, noted that the president had little control over the price of gas.
Republicans have used Biden’s closing of the Keystone XL pipeline, which was planned to transport crude oil from Canada across the United States to refineries in Texas, as one reason for the increase in gas prices. But even if Biden hadn’t stopped the pipeline, it wouldn’t have made a difference in today’s gas prices. The pipeline wasn’t set to be operational until 2023, according to Forbes.
Biden did pause new licensing of federal lands for drilling, but that didn’t stop licenses already issued from being used, and there are 9,000 approved permits for drilling that haven’t been used yet, according to MSNBC. The number of oil rigs has also increased in the U.S. since Biden’s inauguration
But it is also clear that the Biden administration has changed narratives recently in terms of what can be done. Two weeks ago, he said he’d “work like the devil” to address rising gas prices but more recently said he can’t do much because Russia was to blame.
And Democrats proposing a federal gas tax holiday most likely won’t save Americans much (as it stands right now it won’t save Nevadans anything). The federal gasoline tax adds 18.4 cents to every gallon of gas, or about $2.30 for filling up your sedan.
While people continue to debate the cause of the price increase and figure out solutions, leaders are aiming to prevent price gouging.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is promising to investigate any suspected instances of gas price gouging.
“Last legislative session, I sponsored Nevada’s first anti-price gouging law and other laws to prevent those who would use a crisis as an opportunity for greed,” Ford said in a statement. “Now, we’re ready to enforce Nevada’s laws to protect consumers. While most retailers are increasing prices due to disruptions in the supply chain, I will not allow any bad actors to artificially inflate prices of basic needs to rip off Nevadans trying to drive to work or to be with loved ones.”
U. S. Rep. Dina Titus wrote a letter Tuesday to the Federal Trade Commission asking it to “take all available options under the law to ensure consumers are protected at the pump.”
Regardless of who’s to blame, we can all agree we’re eagerly waiting for those numbers to fall. Until then, many of us are avoiding those long, unessential drives across the city, sitting in traffic.
More GOP straw polling
The Elko Daily Free Press reported last week that GOP gubernatorial hopeful Joey Gilbert and U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalt were favored in a straw poll at an Elko County Republican Party meeting and convention.
Gilbert, an attorney based in Reno and a former professional boxer, was the clear favorite among the governor candidates, winning 40% of the straw poll vote. About 100 people attended the meeting but not all voted in the polls, the article reported.
Dr. Fred Simon came in second at 17%, and Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo and entrepreneur Guy Nohra tied for third place with 12% each.
Laxalt, former attorney general, was narrowly favored for U.S. Senate, defeating Army Veteran Sam Brown by only two votes.
A straw poll of less than 100 people is not a great indicator of anything, but it does mirror similar small polls at Republican meetings across the state over the last few months. In February a survey of Clark County Republicans showed voters favoring Gilbert, and a straw poll of about 345 people at a debate in January in Reno also put Gilbert ahead of the others.
It is important to remember, though, that the attendees of county Republican meetings don’t necessarily reflect the thoughts of the entire Republican base in Nevada, those who might not be as active in the party.
A poll of 230 Republican voters conducted by the Nevada Independent and the OH Predictive Insights in late January found that while 36% were unsure of which Republican candidate they would vote for, 28% said Lombardo. Gilbert only received 7% in that poll.
The polls are still over the place, and if there is any worthy indication, it’s that the race is still anybody’s game.
Laxalt on board with Scott?
Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has come under scrutiny for his “11-point plan to Resolve America,” part of which would require all Americans to pay some form of income tax.
About half of Americans do not pay federal income tax, usually because they earn too little.
“All Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount,” the plan says, according to the Washington Post. “Currently over half of Americans pay no income tax.”
The scrutiny has since extended toward Laxalt, with critics claiming Laxalt, whom Scott encouraged to run for Senate, also favors raising taxes on middle class Americans.
“Adam Laxalt and his Republican allies are running on raising taxes on middle class Nevadans while giving tax breaks to massive corporations,” Nevada Democratic Victory spokesperson Andy Orellana said in a statement.
But Laxalt says he doesn’t support tax increases “on anyone.” He said he signed a pledge from the Americans for Tax Reform, which advocates for a system that lowers taxes and is more transparent.
Postal Service help
The U.S. Senate last week passed the Postal Service Reform Act to provide financial stability to the U.S. Postal Service and guarantee six-day mail delivery. The House of Representatives already passed the legislation, and it is now on its way to the president’s desk.
“The U.S. Postal Service is indispensable for Nevadans, particularly in rural areas” Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., said in a statement last week, “and those who rely on it to receive prescription drugs, Social Security checks, and other critical mail.”
The act requires the postal service to publish weekly service performance data on its website. It also allows the service to enter into agreements with state, local and tribal governments to provide nonpostal services such as issuing hunting or fishing licenses, that provide enhanced value to the public.
The countdown
Days until the filing deadline for the 2022 election: 5
Days to primary: 92
Days to midterms: 239
What to look for this week
The Clark County Republican Party’s precinct meeting and county convention is Saturday at the Ahern Hotel. Visit theCCRP.org for more information.
