2011 Nevada Legislature review

The 2011 Nevada Legislative session ended in June. FIT4NV, with help from the Clean Coalition, were very successful in moving our Feed-in Tariff bill (SB184) out of the Senate, on a bipartisan vote, and into the Assembly. Unfortunately, the Democratic leadership of the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee--all representing North Las Vegas--were not well informed on FIT policies and failed to understand that to stimulate the Nevada's economy by creating a vibrant and predicable renewable energy program--where everyone could participate equally and meaningfully in energy production--requires an investment. Of course, FITs are a pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) program requiring a tiny investment from utility ratepayers to finance. Also, we were up against NV Energy, who contrary to their greenwashing advertisements, are strongly opposed to renewable energy development--especially if it means that consumers are playing in their sandbox by being paid to generate energy. There are a number of ways that a FIT program could benefit NV Energy shareholders but unfortunately the utility space is ruled by myopic 20th century thinking: they like being a monopoly.

In the end, our bill (SB184) became a study (been there, done that) and was amended to AB416, a net-metering plus production based initiative bill. Also, at the last minute NV Energy managed to get an onerous transmission amendment added to AB416 as well. By end of June the governor had vetoed AB416.

We are presently considering our options. You are welcome to join us by either helping out at meetings or by even sending us some funds! Please contact Bob or John at the numbers listed at the bottom of the left sidebar. Please be sure to check back in a couple of months to see what we're up to.

FIT4NV thanks you for all you do to help this unfunded, purely grassroots effort to support the adoption of a FIT in Nevada!

CARSON CITY — The Legislature played host to a former director of the CIA yesterday, who came to voice support for a renewable energy bill.

James Woolsey, director of the CIA between 1993 and 1995, said the passage of the bill is a matter of national security.

Senate Bill 184 would establish a "feed-in tariff" program in Nevada, which would allow small-scale solar, wind, geothermal and other energy producers to "feed in" their energy to the grid.

FEED-IN TARIFFS FOR NEVADA (FIT4NV): an Energy Independence & Economic Security Initiative, on the web at www.FIT4NV.org!

FIT4NV is a Nevada based initiative cosponsored by the: Electric Auto Association of Northern Nevada, Bob Tregilus, 775.826.4514; Great Basin Resource Watch, John Hadder, 775.348.1986

NEW ENERGY POLICY TO BE HEARD IN LEGISLATURE COULD BRING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES TO NEVADA

CARSON CITY, NV—The Senate Committee on Commerce, Labor and Energy will hold a hearing on Senate Bill 184 (SB184) on Monday, March 7 at 1:00pm. The bill will create a Renewable Energy Systems Development Program—a first of its kind policy in Nevada. It will require the Public Utility Commission of Nevada to develop a program where any person or business with a renewable energy generation system will be paid a fair "rate" to generate and "feed" their energy into the electric grid. Programs of this kind are commonly known as a feed-in tariff (FIT) where the term "tariff" is not a tax, but a "rate" paid.

A FIT is the most cost effective way to accelerate the use of cleaner technologies to generate electricity in Nevada," said Dr. John Scire, UNR adjunct professor of political science who has taught energy policy and politics for the last ten years. 

"The FIT created by SB184 will have seven major economic benefits," Dr. Scire continued: "(1) It will enable those who decide to participate to actually make a profit from their generation of electricity, whereas now they can only offset their bills and any extra electricity they generate is a gift to NV Energy. (2) FITs will enable NV Energy to attain its Renewable Portfolio Standard for generating clean energy at a lower cost. (3) It will eliminate the need for NV Energy to build new long-distance transmission lines because the FIT is a form of distributed generation. (4) If FITs become widespread, they could enable NV Energy to avoid spending more money fixing up its old coal-fired plants. (5) Any reduction in coal use will keep capital in our state since every pound of coal is imported and the money spent on coal only enriches our neighbors to the East and North. (6) A FIT will employ hundreds, perhaps thousands of Nevadans to do the installations. And (7), although no solar panels, inverters, etc. are built in this state, a successful FIT program will bring Nevada to the attention of the manufacturers, and that will make it much more likely that they will locate a plant here to fabricate solar panels and other clean energy products. The only downside is a very small increase in everyone's monthly electric bills. That cost is a small price to pay to gain all of the above benefits."

"This policy will allow us to optimally use our urban areas to supply energy to the grid," added John Hadder of the FIT4NV Initiative and director of Great Basin Resource Watch, "that maximizes efficiency, and provides an alternative financing arrangement allowing all people to participate. SB184 is truly an 'Energy by the People' policy."

Unlike existing incentive programs, SB184 is not a taxpayer subsidy; it costs the government nothing. And it is not an incentive like rebate and net-metering programs. Rather, the SB184 FIT is nothing more that payment for generation under a simple contact agreement and at a fair price—and that get manufacturers excited!

"Passage of the Renewable Energy Systems Development Program (SB 184)," said Glen Williams and Eric Severance of the Reno based Solar Venture Partners, LLC, "would signal that Nevada is turning its vision to be a leader in the green energy economic revolution into action. SB184 creates a fair and accommodating regulatory environment for renewable energy that will drive rapid, sustained, and widespread renewable energy development in Nevada by a wide spectrum of businesses. Investors are looking for opportunities to participate in long-term RE products with a reasonable return on investment and property owners are looking for additional income opportunities. Properly designed programs such as what is proposed in SB184 can help reduce the overall cost of RE development by reducing investment risk. The stability of feed-in programs makes it more likely that investors will provide financing, making more capital available for renewable energy development. This spurs economic development and creates local jobs. With all of its natural attributes, Nevada couldn't be in a better position for renewable energy, and this is an excellent way for Nevada to invest in its future."

"The marketplace created by a state of the art FIT program," said Bob Tregilus author of a recent economic assessment of a Nevada FIT, "we think will mark a "tipping point" that would mobilize the capital necessary to launch Nevada's economic recovery. With California, the eighth largest economy on the planet immediately to our west as well as a favorable business climate to draw industry to Nevada, we are well positioned to supply equipment for not only renewable energy development in our state, but especially to neighboring states—first, however, we must send a clear signal to the renewable energy industry that Nevada is ready to do business. Feed-in tariffs are the power to renew our economy!"

The FIT4NV economic assessment maybe downloaded from the FIT4NV website at www.FIT4NV.org.

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The Senate Committee on Commerce, Labor, and Energy passes SB184 and sends it to the Senate floor for a vote!

BDR229, now SB184, was introduced into the Nevada Senate and refered to the Committee on Commerce, Labor and Energy.