Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Politics:

Nevada’s clean energy advocates hope to build momentum in D.C.

Assemblyman Chris Brooks

Mick Akers

Assemblyman Chris Brooks, D-Las Vegas, urges other elected officials to continue to promote Nevada’s clean energy industry as Nevada Conservation League Executive Director Andy Maggi, left, and Bombard Renewable Energy solar project manager Deidre Radford, right, look on at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, on June 22, 2017.

After several bills promoting clean energy were signed into law by Gov. Brian Sandoval after the 2017 Nevada Legislature, advocates are calling for state leaders to continue their charge in Washington, D.C.

“We passed some really good pieces of legislation this past session trying to encourage some investment in the state,” Assemblyman Chris Brooks, D-Las Vegas, said.

Among the bills that encouraged clean energy advocates:

Assembly Bill 405, which sets the rate solar customers are credited for energy they send to the grid.

Senate Bill 150, which defines a comprehensive structure for energy-efficiency programs offered by the state and electric utilities.

Senate Bill 146, which establishes distributed resource planning for electric utilities.

Although there appears to be momentum for clean energy advocates in the state, the Trump administration has proposed budget cuts for the Environmental Protection Agency, pulling out of the Paris climate agreement and other acts could halt their positive traction.

With state-elected officials pushing bipartisan policies to promote clean energy jobs in Nevada, advocates say Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., has instead supported policies that could hurt the Silver State. They noted Heller’s vote to confirm Scott Pruitt for EPA administrator, despite Pruitt’s ties to the fossil fuel industry.

“I’m training the next generation of renewable energy workers, and they deserve the assurance that they will have good-paying jobs and they can be provided financial security when they complete the program,” said Guy Snow, president of Solar NV and instructor of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’ joint apprenticeship program.

Heller said that he has and will continue to push for various clean energy options that benefit the state.

“As the leading Republican in the U.S. Senate fighting to diversify our nation’s energy portfolio, I have consistently supported the renewable energy sector and worked to level the playing field for solar, geothermal and wind energies,” Heller said.

“I will continue to work to see that Nevada — and our country — move forward with the development of innovative new energy technologies that our nation’s energy supply cleaner, more affordable and more reliable,” he said.

Brooks, who noted that he’s had some positive discussions with Heller over the years regarding clean energy, said the senator backed the solar investment tax credit.

With the signing of AB405 by Sandoval, Brooks said that the rooftop solar industry is already returning to the state.

“Immediately (after AB405 passed), we’re seeing Tesla, Sunrun and Vivint Solar are hiring folks to come back to Nevada and to go to work,” he said.

In order to build off that progress, Brooks said it is vital that officials such as Heller keep the pressure on in Washington.

“We just need him to stand up to the administration because the administration and the Republicans in Washington keep trying to turn back the advancements we’ve made. We’re looking at him to help stop that,” Brooks said. “Over the years we’ve had positive talks with him about what we need. … There’s been some open conversations, and we need him to push back against the administration.”

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