US Oil & Gas Association Slams Nevada AG Aaron Ford for Hypocrisy on Soaring Gas Prices

The US Oil & Gas Association (USOGA) sharply criticized Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford for blaming high gas prices on an “Iran War that Trump started” while suing the Trump administration to preserve California-style federal regulations that are driving up costs for Nevadans. 

Ford, a Democrat running in the 2026 gubernatorial race, recently posted a video pinning Nevada’s fuel prices on President Trump and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. 

But USOGA’s response on X (formerly Twitter) laid out the inconvenient facts Ford seems eager to ignore: Nevada imports 85-90 percent of its refined petroleum products from California refineries now being strangled by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s aggressive California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations, low-carbon fuel standards, and refinery crackdowns. 

“Hello Mr. Ford,” the USOGA post began. “You probably know that Nevada imports 85-90% of your refined products from California refineries. The same refineries that are being strangled by your close friend and political ally Governor Newsom.” 

Hello Mr. Ford.

You probably know that Nevada imports 85-90% of your refined products from California refineries.

The same refineries that are being strangled by your close friend and political ally Governor Newsom.

As everyone knows, Gov Newsom's California's CARB regs,… https://t.co/whYateHYyB

— US Oil & Gas Association (@US_OGA) March 29, 2026

It questioned why Ford is fighting to keep heavy federal regs on fossil fuels and emissions that inflate energy costs — the same measures burdening California and now spilling over to Nevada. 

“Why are you fighting to keep heavy federal regs on fossil fuels & emissions that drive up energy costs?” USOGA asked. “Why do you want to keep in place the same measures that drive up costs in California that Nevadans now have to pay for?” 

The association pointed directly to Ford’s March 19 lawsuit against the Trump administration, in which the Nevada AG joined a multi-state effort seeking to reverse the repeal of long-standing federal emissions and fossil fuel regulations – the very rules the Trump administration has targeted to lower energy costs nationwide.

This contrasts with Nevada Republican Attorney General candidate Adriana Guzmán Fralick public demand that Ford sue California over refinery closures, stating, “What is needed now is a lawsuit against California to protect Nevada consumers.”

The USOGA’s critique aligns with years of warnings from The California Globe about how Newsom’s anti-oil agenda is exporting pain to neighboring states. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo has repeatedly sounded the alarm. In a pointed March 2026 letter to Newsom, Lombardo warned that California’s stringent environmental rules are creating a regional fuel crisis, with Nevada “almost entirely dependent on California’s refining capacity.”

The California Globe has documented the crisis in real time. Marathon Petroleum Corporation recently sent a direwarning to Newsom, declaring that proposed CARB Cap-and-Invest amendments would make California refineries “among the most expensive to operate in the world,” threatening shutdowns, fuel shortages, and skyrocketing prices.

Experts have projected California gas prices could hit $8.43 per gallon – a 75% increase – as more refineries close under the weight of these mandates.

Ford’s frequent out-of-state travel and multi-state lawsuits have drawn ethics complaints and scrutiny, yet his office has shown little interest in holding California accountable for the fuel crisis it is exporting.

As the USOGA noted, Lombardo has been warning voters about California’s failing energy policies for years. Ford’s latest lawsuit suggests he would rather import those failures than fight to protect Nevada families.

As of March 30, 2026, Nevada’s average regular gas price stands at $4.91 per gallon, according to AAA data — up dramatically from $3.76 one year ago, an increase of more than $1.15 per gallon. 

Ford’s alignment with Newsom is no surprise. As The California Globe reported in March, Nevada Democrats rolled out the red carpet for the California governor in Las Vegas, openly embracing his “failed policies and woke agenda” – including the very energy mandates now hammering Nevada drivers.

Lombardo, by contrast, has taken concrete steps to shield Nevada. He appointed a Fuel Resiliency Committee under the Nevada Homeland Security Commission to counter California’s “radical and punitive energy policies” and has proposed subcommittees focused on building independence from Sacramento’s regulatory overreach.

Lombardo and Arizona governor Katie Hobbs jointly opposed Newsom’s gas-price control bills, warning they could create artificial shortages and Venezuela-style price spikes that ripple across state lines.

Ford’s legal action against the Trump administration stands in stark contrast to those calls for accountability. Instead of challenging California’s policies that are inflating prices across the West, Ford is doubling down on the regulatory framework enabling them.While Ford points fingers elsewhere, everyday Nevadans bear the cost of imported California regulations.

The California Globe will track developments as the 2026 race heats up.