Nevada resident speaks out about high utility bills during a Consumer Session held by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada.
Nevadans, like you, are exhausted from sky-high energy bills and endless rate increases. NV Energy and Southwest Gas continue to squeeze your wallet dry while lining their pockets. The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada’s (PUCN) annual consumer session is your chance to hold these monopoly utilities accountable. At these consumer sessions, you can express your frustration with the utilities through public comments in person or by submitting a comment online.
Why Attend the PUCN Annual Consumer Session?
The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) is required to hold annual consumer sessions, providing an opportunity for you to voice your concerns on any topic related to utility services. This year’s sessions come at a critical time as Nevadans grapple with rising energy bills, driven mainly by NV Energy and Southwest Gas’s greed and overreliance on costly, polluting methane gas.
These sessions are your chance to push back against NV Energy and Southwest Gas and call them out for their decisions that lead to high bills and the environmental damage we’re all paying for. Hold these utilities accountable for prioritizing profits over people and demand they take responsibility. Whether you’ve been hit hard by soaring costs or want more transparency, your voice matters.
What’s at Stake?
NV Energy’s latest proposals include tripling the basic service charge in Northern Nevada and pushing more than $1.1 billion in spending on methane gas power plants statewide over the last two years. The corporation has proposed $573 million for new gas projects. This follows recent approvals of a combined $565.3 million for additional gas-fired generation. The cost of the Silverhawk Generating Station peaker plant approved in 2023 has ballooned to $514.9 million, and the Valmy coal-to-gas repower will cost ratepayers $50.43 million. This massive spending on fossil fuel-burning plants will further burden ratepayers, locking us into decades of climate pollution and volatile energy prices. These short-sighted decisions are driving the rate hikes that many of us have felt acutely over the past year. Unlike clean energy, which offers price stability and no fuel costs, methane gas is subject to global price swings that can cause your bills to skyrocket. Yet, NV Energy continues to push for more gas plants, ignoring more cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives like renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy storage.
Southwest Gas is just as guilty for the financial burden Nevadans face, having recently secured a $65.56 million rate increase, their fourth since 2018. Southwest Gas claims this rate increase is necessary to fund capital projects, like the unnecessary pipeline expansion to Mesquite that existing customers in Southern Nevada subsidized. In reality, it leaves us even more exposed to the volatile gas prices driving our bills higher and higher. It’s no skin off of the monopoly utility’s back, though. Their executives and shareholders profits surged to $775 million in just the third quarter of 2023. It’s time to demand transparency and accountability from Southwest Gas and ensure that their spending and rate decisions prioritize the well-being of Nevadans over corporate profits.”
Why Your Voice Matters
Speaking at a PUCN consumer session is your chance to push for real change. Sharing your experiences with high bills can influence the PUCN’s decisions on future energy planning and rate adjustments.
Here are some key points to consider when preparing your comments:
- High Bills and Rate Shocks: Highlight how recent spikes in electricity and gas bills have affected you. Emphasize the need for the PUCN to protect consumers from future rate shocks by diversifying Nevada’s energy mix away from volatile methane gas to locally sourced and produced renewable energy.
- Clean Energy and Accountability: Demand greater transparency from NV Energy and Southwest Gas in their planning processes and insist on investments in local, clean energy solutions that are more affordable, energy efficient, and reliable long-term.
- Holding Monopoly Utilities Accountable: Call out NV Energy and Southwest Gas for prioritizing shareholder profits over customer well-being. Urge the PUCN to ensure that utility spending is focused on cost-saving measures like energy efficiency and clean energy rather than on expensive and dirty fossil fuels.
How to Participate
The PUCN is hosting two in-person consumer sessions in Reno and two in Las Vegas. The dates and times are below. Please arrive on time, sign in, and prepare to speak for 1-3 minutes. It’s always a good policy to be respectful of the Commission and the staff and direct your frustrations at the utilities.
Session Details:
- Reno:
- Date & Times: Wednesday, August 28, 2024, at 1:00 and 6:00 p.m.
- Location: Washoe County Commission Chambers, 1001 E. 9th Street, Building A, Reno, Nevada 89512
- Las Vegas:
- Date & Times:
- Monday, September 23, 2024, at 1:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 6:00 p.m.
- Location: Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, Hearing Room A, 9075 West Diablo Drive, Suite 250, Las Vegas, Nevada 89148
Can’t attend in person? We get it. You are working hard to pay those ridiculously high energy bills and executive salaries. You can still participate by submitting written comments by the dates listed above. If you live in Northern Nevada, reference Docket No. 24-06001. If you’re in Southern Nevada, use Docket No. 24-06002. Directions for filing comments online are provided here. You can also send a letter by mail to The Public Utilities Commission, 1150 E. William Street, Carson City, NV 89701.
Final Thoughts
Nevadans deserve affordable, reliable, and clean energy. By participating in the PUCN’s consumer session, you can help shape our state’s energy policies. Don’t miss this chance—make your voice heard and advocate for a fair, clean energy future.
Mark your calendars, prepare comments, and join us in holding NV Energy and Southwest Gas accountable!
