Laxalt Hosts American Energy Independence Policy Panel with Sec. Rick Perry, Rebel Oil, and Green Valley Grocery
Former Texas Gov and Sec Rick Perry, John and Christi Case of Rebel Oil Company, and Rick Crawford of Green Valley Grocery Join Laxalt Campaign Panel to Discuss Energy Policy
Las Vegas, NV - Wednesday morning, Nevada Republican U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalt hosted an energy policy panel discussion with former U.S. Secretary of Energy and former Texas Governor - Rick Perry, Rebel Oil Company Vice President of Operations - Jason Case, Rebel Oil Company Vice President of Marketing and Supply - Christi Case, and President and Owner of Green Valley Grocery - Rick Crawford. Before the panel discussion began, Christi Case announced the Nevada Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association's endorsement of Laxalt for his U.S. Senate race. The former U.S. Secretary of Energy and former Governor of Texas Rick Perry also voiced his support of Laxalt: “Adam’s leadership and his thoughtful approach to solving problems is exactly what Nevada needs but what this country needs as we go forward,” Sec. Perry said. Christi Case moderated the panel and posed questions to Secretary Perry, Jason Case, and Rick Crawford. In response to a question regarding the failure of the Democrats' energy policies, Laxalt stated: “None of this needed to be the way it is. The all-time high inflation, the all-time high gas prices here in this state, these are a direct result of policies. When Joe Biden ran in 2020, he looked a voter in the eye and he said, ‘we will end fossil fuels.’ We are living the results of that policy.” “If they continue down this path, you’re going to see the rolling blackouts we’re seeing in California. You’re going to see gas prices continue to rise,” Laxalt added. Laxalt also responded to recent tweets from Senator Cortez Masto's campaign regarding the Yucca Mountain controversy in Nevada: "Senator Cortez Masto did me a favor in the last 24 hours because she decided to go after Secretary Perry for coming here and this visit and suggest that I support Yucca Mountain or that I have not opposed plutonium shipments. Well first and foremost, like a lot of her campaign and the ads you're seeing: flat out lies. For four consecutive years we sued to halt Yucca Mountain in this state and our record is crystal clear. We had multiple major wins. And we sued when the plutonium shipments were coming in too." “Again, I’m grateful that she did that because it allowed us to highlight a key difference. Which is, ‘yeah, I stood with Nevada those four years against an administration that I otherwise supported.’ She is not standing against Joe Biden and this administration. She is not opposing any of these policies. She is a consistent vote for all these things that have taken our energy policy in the wrong direction. Don’t be fooled by any commercials or any ads. This is her record. Her record is 95% with Joe Biden… She’s a rubber-stamp,” Adam added. Jason Case gave remarks on how Biden's and Cortez-Masto's energy policies have impacted businesses in Nevada and elaborated on how green alternatives and electric vehicles can help drive innovation, so long as government does not interfere with markets or push American mining offshore: "I'll start of by saying we don't have anything against green energy. We are proponents of green energy. We did our facility walk-through here. I think about 16% of our storage capacity here is biodiesel and renewable diesel, and we're a heavy player in the logistics of the ethanol movement here in Nevada. What we're not in favor of is the government deciding who the winners and losers are. I think markets and innovation should make that decision. I'm a big fan of biofuels especially if you’re dealing with heavy duty equipment... I think Tesla is a great product, particularly for light duty. If we're going to go down that road [of EV's], we need to look at the American mining industry as opposed to pushing that offshore," Case explained. Rick Crawford expressed his regret and empathy for Nevadans who have been impacted by the recent spikes in gas prices: “I feel empathy for the people of Southern Nevada and across the nation who have fixed incomes, like retirees, or those who are on a low-income salary… you have those folks out there that live in the valley that can’t afford that. They’ve changed their lifestyles because of high gas prices and fuel prices. Something needs to be done, and it’s not draining the strategic petroleum reserves. We really will need that someday. We need to be more prudent, but this administration is anything but prudent.” Laxalt also provided a general statement regarding how the energy policies of the Biden Administration and Senator Cortez Masto have impacted Nevadans: “We are in the midst of an energy crisis the likes of which we haven’t seen in more than four decades. Hardworking Nevadans are being forced to deal with the third-highest gas prices in the country, rapidly rising energy bills, and surging inflation, due in part to the high cost of fuel. We have even reached a point where NV Energy is desperately calling on Nevadans to raise their thermostats to 78 degrees and refrain from charging their electricity vehicles in order to avoid power outages,” said Laxalt. “This is outrageous, and it is a direct result of Biden’s and Biden and Cortez Masto’s assault on American energy production. In just the past few years, Cortez Masto has repeatedly voted against common-sense bills to increase domestic energy production and lower prices at the pump. Now Nevadans are paying the price. I appreciate Secretary Perry joining me today for a discussion on how we can reverse the damage done by Cortez Masto and Biden and restore American energy independence.”
From left to right, Christi Case, Sec. Rick Perry, Adam Laxalt, Jason Case, and Rick Crawford
Background:
Laxalt Sued The Trump Admin Over Yucca Mountain
While serving as Nevada’s Attorney General in 2018, Adam Laxalt sued the federal government to stop the U.S. Department of Energy, under the leadership of then-Secretary Rick Perry, from shipping radioactive plutonium to Nevada to be stored at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site. (https://lasvegassun.com/news/2018/dec/04/nevada-suing-us-in-bid-to-block-plan-for-plutonium/)
Nevada would go on to win the lawsuit and stop the Trump administration's plan to send nuclear waste to the Silver State. (https://ag.nv.gov/News/PR/2018/US_Fifth_Circuit_Court_of_Appeals_Grants_Nevada%E2%80%99s_Motion_to_Dismiss_in_Texas_Case_Involving_Yucca_Mountain/)
Cortez Masto Has Repeatedly Voted To Block Drilling On Federal Lands
On February 5, 2021, Cortez Masto voted against an amendment to continue oil and gas leases on federal lands. (S. Amdt. 770 To S. Con. Res. 5, Roll Call Vote #40: Rejected 50-50, 2/5/21, Cortez Masto Voted Nay; CQ Summary, Accessed 5/19/21)
On August 10th, 2021, Cortez Masto voted against an amendment that would cancel the Biden administration’s ban on oil and gas leasing on federal land. (S. Amdt. 5387 To S. Amdt. 5194 To H.R. 5376, Roll Call Vote #303, Amendment Rejected 50 – 50, 8/7/22, Cortez Masto Voted Nay; CQ Summary, Accessed 8/11/22)
On August 7, 2022, Cortez Masto voted against an amendment that would require at least 10 additional oil and gas lease sales on the outer continental shelf by 2027. (S. Amdt. 5387 To S. Amdt. 5194 To H.R. 5376, Roll Call Vote #303, Amendment Rejected 50 – 50, 8/7/22, Cortez Masto Voted Nay; CQ Summary, Accessed 8/11/22)
On August 7, 2022, Cortez Masto voted against an amendment to hold additional oil and gas lease sales before the end of 2022. (S. Amdt. 5409 To S. Amdt. 5192 To H.R. 5376, Roll Call Vote #291, Amendment Rejected 50 – 50, 8/7/22, Cortez Masto Voted Nay; CQ Summary, Accessed 8/10/22)
Cortez Masto Voted Against Measure to Lower Gas Prices
On August 7, 2022, Catherine Cortez Masto voted against an amendment that would have lowered gas prices by eliminating the tax imposed on oil companies in the Democrats’ reconciliation bill. (S. Amdt. 5301, H.R. 5376, Roll Call Vote #289: Amendment Rejected 50-50: D 0-48; R 50-0; I 0-2, 8/07/2022)
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