Energy bill emerges as Repower Nevada plan

Erin Neff

Wednesday, May 30, 2001 | 10:47 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- What was once an omnibus energy package complete with consumer assistance, renewable issues and an increasing Public Utilities Commission has been stripped down to just one issue.

Assembly Bill 661 unanimously passed the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Tuesday evening as, simply, the Repower Nevada plan.

Under that provision, large energy users such as mines and casinos which account for at least one megawatt of power can leave the state's two power companies and buy their electricity on the open market.

The Assembly Select Committee on Energy grappled with AB661 for weeks, finally begrudgingly allowing the Repower Nevada plan to remain. Still, several Democrats on that committee, and even more on the Assembly floor, voted against the bill because of that provision.

Now with the bill containing only that measure, AB661 faces possible trouble when it returns to the Assembly.

The Senate must first amend and pass the measure before it is sent back to the Assembly for concurrence on the amendment.

If the Assembly does not concur, the Senate has a chance to change its mind. If it doesn't, the bill will end up in a conference committee composed of three senators and three Assembly members appointed by each house's leadership.

"There's always 349," said Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, referring to an Assembly bill dealing with low-income energy assistance that is still alive.

AB661 had also contained a provision that increases the size of the PUC from three to five members, including one member to represent the general public.

State Consumer Advocate Tim Hay today urged the Senate to vote against the energy bill, which he said would hurt small customers.

"The miners, gamers and the utility have gotten everything they asked for with almost no consideration to the small ratepayer," Hay said.

And the committee, Hay said, removed the protection for small customers by eliminating a section that the state Public Utilities Commission must hold a hearing before approving any rate increase.

The PUC earlier this year approved a $311 million rate increase for the electric companies without any hearings.