Daniel Rothberg

Story Archive

First year in Las Vegas yields positives for Uber and Lyft: Monday, Sept. 19, 2016; Even after state regulators gave Uber and Lyft the go-ahead to operate in Las Vegas last September, the Silicon Valley startups quickly became a frustration for local politicians, who were disturbed by the firms’ resistance to ...
Judge: Existing solar customers not properly notified of rate changes: Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016; A judge has ruled Nevada utility regulators followed “unlawful procedure” in approving rate changes for most NV Energy customers who had already installed ...
Setbacks aside, Nevada still ranks high for solar installations: Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016; Despite a sharp decrease in applications for new rooftop solar projects, Nevada remains among the top five states for the deployment of solar resources. When Nevada was compared to other states it ranked fifth for solar installations during the first half of 2016, a trade group said in a study released Monday. One reason ...
NV Energy, SolarCity send deal on rooftop-solar grandfathering to PUC: Monday, Sept. 12, 2016; NV Energy customers who applied for rooftop solar before 2016 would be allowed to keep their prior, more favorable billing rate under a deal submitted Monday for ...
Surprise move by rural Nevada utility spawns community's water worries: Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016; On the day Shoshone Estates Water Co. dissolved in mid-July, the rural Nevada water utility sent out an ambiguous letter to its roughly 80 customers ...
The future of fast cash: State treasurer proposes regulatory crackdown on payday lending: Monday, Sept. 5, 2016; Emergency cash offered by payday lenders can be enticing, at least in the short term. The issue is that borrowers who might already be living week to week often struggle to repay and can face mounting interest rates — compounded by the fact that there are no limits on the charges Nevada lenders can levy on customers ...
Federal officials rescind $5 billion contract for Nevada National Security Site: Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016; After announcing a Lockheed Martin subsidiary as the recipient of a contract to manage the Nevada National Security Site, federal officials backtracked Wednesday and revoked the award ...
Massive energy bills driving greener weed business: Monday, Aug. 29, 2016; The decision to use LED lamps at marijuana cultivation centers might seem unsexy at first, simply a marginal deduction on a complicated balance sheet. But it’s not. It is the type of business decision many experts believe can offer ...
Lockheed gets contract worth up to $5 billion to manage Nevada National Security Site: Friday, Aug. 26, 2016; A subsidiary of defense giant Lockheed Martin won a contract worth up to $5 billion Friday to manage the Nevada National Security Site, ending a bid process that drew interest from major firms like Bechtel …
DraftKings, FanDuel head back to drawing board after Nevada meeting: Friday, Aug. 26, 2016; DraftKings and FanDuel want to re-enter the Nevada market. Policymakers want the popular daily fantasy sports platforms back. That’s the easy part. More complicated are details of ...
Daily fantasy sports could make a comeback in Nevada: Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016; Daily fantasy sports websites that were shut down in Nevada because they didn't have gambling licenses want to get back in the game, but officials who set policy for the gambling mecca of Las Vegas weren't impressed. A representative for daily fantasy …
Study says solar customers shift utility costs to traditional ratepayers: Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016; Under a prior energy rate structure, current rooftop solar customers cost nonsolar ratepayers in Nevada $36 million, according to an updated study from Energy + Environmental Economics, the firm that valued rooftop solar as a benefit to ratepayers in ...
Union opposes NV Energy breakup, Reid backs it, and utility claims to be neutral: Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016; NV Energy reaffirmed its plans Tuesday to remain neutral on a ballot measure that would start a multiyear process of ending the company’s regulated monopoly on supplying electricity. Later in the day, organized labor confirmed plans to oppose the measure, while Sen. Harry Reid voiced ...
NV Energy hopes to shutter coal-generated plant near Moapa 10 months early: Monday, Aug. 15, 2016; NV Energy asked regulators Monday for permission to retire a utility-owned coal plant 10 months earlier than expected as part of an effort to move toward a cleaner fuel portfolio. The utility shut down three of four generating units at its 257-megawatt Reid Gardner Generating Station in ...
Help available for those struggling to pay energy bills: Monday, Aug. 15, 2016; Going without air conditioning in Las Vegas during the hot season can be a health hazard, so much so that NV Energy must postpone termination of service if a physician, considering age, physical condition and …
With little consensus, energy-related lawsuits move through court system: Friday, Aug. 12, 2016; Some important pieces of Nevada's energy future are in limbo, with a web of lawsuits and backroom dealings highlighting conflicts among regulators, trade groups ...
With restrictive ruling on noncompetes, casinos could be forced to adjust: Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016; In 2012, after several years working as an executive casino host for the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno and at Harrah’s before that, Sumona Islam took a job with the Grand Sierra Resort three miles away. One problem: Islam had signed a noncompete agreement preventing her from taking the job. Not long after Islam defected to the Grand Sierra, Atlantis sued. Its lawyers alleged a violation of the agreement and said ...
Customers burned by bankrupt solar firm get some welcome relief: Friday, Aug. 5, 2016; When Richard Gilliam first contracted Summerlin Energy to install solar panels on his roof last fall, he had no problem with the company. Four months later, that all changed when ...
Nevada Supreme Court blocks referendum on rooftop solar rates: Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016; A Nevada Supreme Court ruling today blocks a SolarCity-backed referendum intended to roll back rooftop solar energy rates from appearing on the November ballot. The proposed measure ...
Report: Advanced industry jobs gain ground in Las Vegas: Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016; The study looked at several advanced industries that were defined by their large investments in research and development and the share of workers in the industry who ...
Advocacy groups form coalition to advocate for clean energy policies: Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016; Backed by groups including the League of Women Voters, the Institute for a Progressive Nevada and the Nevada Conservation League, the RenewNV coalition plans to rally the public around energy-efficiency, large-scale renewable projects and an increased deployment of rooftop solar.
Justices hear arguments on whether solar referendum qualifies for ballot: Friday, July 29, 2016; Justices on the state’s top court questioned arguments Friday in a case to prevent a SolarCity-backed political group from moving forward with a ballot measure that would restore more favorable electricity rates for its customers. The lawsuit, brought by an NV Energy-backed group, represents one front in ...
Gigafactory opening shows ‘Tesla effect’ taking shape: Friday, July 29, 2016; Until this week, when Tesla escorted reporters around the sliver of the factory that has been constructed, the company had largely remained quiet about its progress. Today, Tesla will lift the lid even further at an official opening. Tesla, whose factory is about 14 percent complete, has hurried construction so that ...
NV Energy seeks solar grandfathering in advance of court hearing: Wednesday, July 27, 2016; NV Energy urged the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada on Wednesday to let about 32,000 rooftop solar customers keep prior, more favorable rates for electricity. Such a move would apply to residential NV Energy customers who …
Hyperloop One announces opening of North Las Vegas manufacturing plant: Wednesday, July 27, 2016; Hyperloop One announced today the opening of a 105,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in North Las Vegas, where the company is testing its transportation platform that propels high-speed pods down pneumatic tubes. The company, which calls ...
Sandoval not reappointing regulator behind new rooftop solar rates: Wednesday, July 27, 2016; Gov. Brian Sandoval will not reappoint the utility regulator who presided over a controversial decision to impose a new rate structure for ...
3 takeaways from Tesla Gigafactory unveiling: Wednesday, July 27, 2016; When Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled a second “master plan” for his company last week, two key parts were to broaden its electric vehicle line to ...
Tesla opens factory to expand battery production, sales: Tuesday, July 26, 2016; From a hilltop inside the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, the Tesla Gigafactory carves an 800,000-square-foot print into the ground. The massive battery plant is only 14 percent completed. To one side, the interior shell of another section appears nearly completed and to the other, construction workers are laying the groundwork for ...
For Uber, Lyft, FBI background checks could re-emerge in legislative session: Thursday, July 21, 2016; After several tense months in 2015, the Legislature passed a framework to regulate Uber and Lyft. By the fall, they were operating in Clark County. While taxi and ...
Judge issues emergency order in Switch lawsuit: Tuesday, July 19, 2016; A federal judge has issued an emergency order to preserve potential evidence in data company Switch’s lawsuit against the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada and NV Energy. Switch sued ...
State board to vote Thursday on tax incentives for Apple and e-commerce startup: Tuesday, July 19, 2016; Economic development officials meeting Thursday will weigh in on tax breaks for several companies, including technology giant Apple, which operates a data center in Northern Nevada, and Thrive Market, a California online grocery startup that plans to spend about $3.5 million on a Reno shipping center. Other companies that have applied ...
Peppermill in Reno latest casino aiming to leave NV Energy: Monday, July 18, 2016; The Peppermill resort in Reno is asking regulators for permission to leave NV Energy and buy electricity from another provider. The resort ...
FAA bill extends Nevada drone testing, addresses human trafficking: Thursday, July 14, 2016; Legislation approved by Congress on Wednesday extended Nevada’s designation as a federal test site for drone development, but failed to include many aviation-related priorities the delegation had hoped would benefit the state, due to a controversial effort to ...
NV Energy surprised by Switch lawsuit, calls its claims baseless: Wednesday, July 13, 2016; NV Energy plans to defend itself against a $30 million lawsuit filed by Las Vegas-based data company Switch, arguing that the complaint includes “baseless claims” against ...
Switch sues PUC, NV Energy for $30 million in damages, permission to leave utility: Tuesday, July 12, 2016; Las Vegas-based data company Switch filed a lawsuit alleging that Nevada utility regulators failed to treat the company equally when it denied the firm’s application ...
Tech innovation is shaking and shaping the Las Vegas machine: Monday, July 11, 2016; Every January, the modern-day Masters of the Universe flock to the Strip. From Wall Street and Silicon Valley they come for CES, where the Fetty Waps of the world play Google after-parties, and heavyweights from Intel to IBM showcase the future’s infrastructure. It’s the biggest trade show in a city of ...
Threat of wildfires is increasing, and nearly half of Nevada's population lives in areas of high risk: Sunday, July 10, 2016; A changing climate could increase the risk of large wildfires in states across the West, including Nevada, which has seen relatively mild wildfire activity in the past. That’s according to a report from nonprofit organization Climate Central, which expects Nevada will add 20 days of ...
NV Energy expects purchase of Arizona natural gas plant to bring needed new power: Friday, July 8, 2016; As part of a pending sale with electricity generator Calpine, NV Energy plans to acquire an Arizona natural gas plant for $75.6 million. The move comes at a time when ...
MGM Resorts International expands solar array, now nation's largest: Wednesday, July 6, 2016; After expanding a rooftop solar array atop the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, MGM Resorts International announced on Wednesday that its roughly 26,000 solar panels that span 28 acres set a record as the largest ...
Poll shows majority of Nevadans support rooftop solar — and old rates: Tuesday, July 5, 2016; Nevadans widely support the rooftop-solar industry and an effort to reverse a new rate structure for customers, according to a survey commissioned by a SolarCity-backed political action committee. The group, known as Bring Back Solar, has spent nearly $2 million on a ballot measure that would reverse a Public Utilities Commission decision that increased bills for ...
Nevada company to collaborate with U.N. on space missions: Thursday, June 30, 2016; Sparks-based Sierra Nevada Corp. could provide an affordable way for countries to travel to space under an agreement it signed with ...
NV Energy customers to see another rate drop this week: Wednesday, June 29, 2016; Due in part to low fuel costs, rates for electricity customers in Southern Nevada will decrease on July 1, NV Energy announced in ...
Chemical plume in central Las Vegas to soon undergo cleanup: Wednesday, June 22, 2016; For years, residents of the Paradise Palms neighborhood in central Las Vegas have been awaiting cleanup of a chemical plume caused by spills at a nearby dry-cleaning establishment. Now, Nevada environmental protection authorities ...
NV Energy rolls out program, offers tips for cutting summer power bills: Tuesday, June 21, 2016; With summer temperatures hitting the Las Vegas Valley and an excessive heat warning in effect, many NV Energy customers are looking at higher electricity bills as they try to keep ...
Why UNLV is doubling down on big data: Sunday, June 19, 2016; Already equipped with a supercomputer, the university pledges to create a campus Institute for Big Data.
Could green bank in Nevada encourage clean-energy sector?: Friday, June 17, 2016; Despite costs declining over the past decade, installing a clean-energy system or retrofitting for energy efficiency remains prohibitively expensive for many consumers and small businesses across the state. And that fact has led some legislators to consider a pioneering fix. An energy committee this morning will hear the results of a study examining the viability of a Nevada green bank, a quasi-public tool for ...
Self-driving minibus to hit streets in Las Vegas: Thursday, June 16, 2016; Self-driving vehicles are coming to Las Vegas. Later this year, Arizona-based Local Motors expects to deploy an autonomous minibus in Las Vegas through a partnership with the ...
UNLV seeks $500,000 in state funding for Institute for Big Data: Wednesday, June 15, 2016; Seeking to help Nevada compete in a world increasingly ruled by statistics and strings of code, UNLV is proposing an interdisciplinary institute to broaden its big-data program and forge partnerships with local industries. Such an institute could aid regional economic development by becoming the go-to resource for data analytics, according to ...
How does ride-hailing compare with taxis?: Monday, June 13, 2016; The Las Vegas taxi industry’s sentiments about ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft is perhaps best expressed on stickers that have popped up on cabs: Uber’s logo with a red line through it. But after a bitter battle in which the taxi establishment fought tooth and nail against ...
Experts put social harms of daily fantasy sports on (mock) trial: Friday, June 10, 2016; The attorneys sat next to each other on one side of Ballroom H. The judge, a former gambling regulator, sat on the other side of the room, flanked by a podium bearing ...