Legislators considered a big proposal related to a bill that would not only promote renewable energy transmission line and EV charging station construction but also hasten Nevada’s transition from fossil fuel.
Senator Chris Brooks from Las Vegas introduced a draft law that would make NV Energy prioritize constructing the lines that could enable renewable energy utilization in state-wide businesses and residences. Brooks’ bill demands the action of putting $100,000,000 into transportation electrification, via five programs of installing EV charging stations on highways and in cities throughout the US state.
Brooks said that expanding the lines would enable Nevada to buy and sell the said form of energy right through the state. As for him, that move would prevent shortages and blackouts like the ones that happened in Texas earlier this year.
Developing the lines across Nevada is possible, besides accessing wind energy from Wyoming, solar energy from Southwest, and hydropower from Northwest, said Brooks. Making those two moves enables offering power to Nevada’s neighbors in central California and SoCal, the senator said.
As for Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, the clean energy economy of the state had already generated numerous jobs in solar businesses. The event of the proposed infrastructural projects being built, would possibly create more jobs, said Sisolak.
The energy from renewable and emission-free sources is associated with Nevada’s economic opportunities and job recovery, besides prioritizing stable rates and reliable electricity, said the governor.
The proposal in Nevada mirrors similar laws under consideration across the region, which includes Colorado. The proposal dovetails with US President Biden’s plans on increasing renewable energy consumption, modernizing the nation’s aging power grid, plus incentivizing drivers to swap their gas vehicles for EVs.
Brooks stated that the state was in a good position to be at the forefront of renewable energy due to many reasons. Those reasons include the following.
- Nevada is near California, which in Brooks’ words is an economical juggernaut state
- The state already has wind, geothermal and solar energy facilities
- It already has vast government lands that would simplify building transmission lines
Brooks said that the bill would enable Nevada to utilize federal infrastructure funding towards transmission, electrification, and so forth.
The proposal creates the pipeline whereby money could be funned into projects, the senator said. It promotes further rooftop solar use as well as gives rebates to the companies that build facilities for energy storage holding power made through sources such as solar, hydropower and wind.
It directs investment towards minority and low-income communities, as well. Present law requires 5% of public utility expenditures going to energy efficiency schemes for customers with low income. In the event the proposal of Brooks passes, then there would a 5% more requirement than the above-mentioned.
Pollution problems disproportionately affect Latino and African-American families, said Senator Fabian Doñate of Nevada. That means marginalized people are likelier to reside in areas with the negative effects of climate change, the senator said. As for the senator, the bill would also allow investing in American neighborhoods that already lack access to both clean energy infrastructure and technology. With it, Nevada could start placing charging stations for EVs in East Las Vegas’s parts, or installing solar panels for mixed-type housing units where this is most needed, said Doñate.
