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Do regulations in California contribute to high gas prices in Nevada?

By Gabby Birenbaum
YES

Because Nevada has little oil of its own, much of its gas comes via pipeline from California, a state that has routinely had the highest gas prices in the nation.  

California’s high fuel prices come in part because it relies on oil imports. The global price of oil was driven up after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when the U.S. and other nations banned Russian oil imports. 

Prices in California are also higher because California requires a special blend of materials and imposes a cap-and-trade program for carbon emission offsets. Additionally, Nevada’s gas tax is the sixth-highest in the U.S. 

According to AAA, Nevada’s average gas prices are fourth highest in the country.  

In a campaign stop last weekend, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) blamed Nevada’s high gas prices on “rules and bureaucracy and regulation” in neighboring California. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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