A Green Marshall Plan for Nevada and America: Why Our Movement Matters
Dear Friends,
In the days following September 11, 2001, retired General Wesley Clark shared a story that has shaped the way I view American foreign policy and, ultimately, why I chose to run for Congress. In numerous public appearances, including an interview with Democracy Now! in 2007, Clark recounted a conversation he had at the Pentagon with a former colleague. Clark was shown a memo that outlined plans to “take out” seven countries in five years: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Iran. The rationale? Strategic control of resources, especially oil, and the geopolitical influence that comes with it.
This revelation was not an isolated warning. It echoes the analysis of historian Alfred McCoy, who, in his book To Govern the Globe, describes how empires rise and fall based on their mastery of the era’s dominant energy. The Portuguese and Spanish built empires on the backs of enslaved labor. The British harnessed steam power. The American century has been fueled by fossil energy. And now, as we stand at a crossroads, the question is clear: Will we shape the future through clean, renewable energy, or will we cede leadership, prosperity, and security to those who do?
That’s why I ran for Congress on a bold and urgent vision: a Green Marshall Plan for Nevada and for America. Our dependence on foreign oil has cost us dearly—not just in dollars, but in lives, in our environment, and in the erosion of our democratic principles. The undue influence of powerful lobbies, including the Israel Lobby so thoroughly examined by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt in their groundbreaking book The Israel Lobby, has too often diverted our national priorities away from peace, sustainability, and the public good.
What does a Green Marshall Plan mean for Nevada and for the country? First, it means investing in our strengths. Nevada is home to the largest lithium mine in North America, a resource essential for batteries and the transition to electric vehicles. By balancing the needs of all stakeholders—including the imperative to protect indigenous sites and sacred lands—we can responsibly lead the world in clean energy production. This isn’t just about lithium; it’s about solar, wind, geothermal, and, yes, even exploring the promise of nuclear fusion. The future must be powered by what we can replenish, not what we exhaust.
This plan would do more than just protect our environment for generations to come. It would save thousands of lives—our sons and daughters who should never have to fight for oil on foreign soil. It would create millions of good-paying jobs right here in Nevada and across America, revitalizing communities that have been left behind by the fossil fuel economy. It would help manage the growing global crisis of ecological refugees—families forced to flee their homes due to drought, storms, and rising seas.
And we can go even further. By leveraging the wealth generated by America’s leadership in renewables, we could fund a national universal basic income of $1,300 per month for every American, modeled after Alaska’s Permanent Fund, which has helped Alaskans share in the state’s natural resource wealth for decades. Imagine what this would mean for working families, for small businesses, for the dignity and security of all Americans.
The stakes could not be higher. As McCoy warns, the empire that masters the energy of its era sets the stage for global leadership. If we fail to act, others will fill the vacuum, and we will watch prosperity slip away.
While I did not win the primary for Congress, I am more convinced than ever that our movement must continue. This fight isn’t about one election—it’s about the future of Nevada, the nation, and the planet. If you believe that change is possible, if you want a future powered by peace, prosperity, and justice, I invite you to join us. Subscribe, donate, and share this message. Because real change isn’t given—it’s won, together.
Thank you for your belief in a better future,
Gamy Enriquez, MPA
References:
Clark, Wesley. “General Wesley Clark: Wars Were Planned—Seven Countries in Five Years.” Democracy Now!, March 2, 2007. https://www.democracynow.org/2007/3/2/gen_wesley_clark_wars_were_planned
Mearsheimer, John J., and Stephen Walt. The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.
McCoy, Alfred W. To Govern the Globe: World Orders and Catastrophic Change. Haymarket Books, 2021.
Information on Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend: https://pfd.alaska.gov/
Nevada Lithium Mine: U.S. Geological Survey, Lithium Statistics and Information. https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/lithium-statistics-and-information
