carson city:

Gibbons: Plan would make Nevada energy independent

Published Tuesday, March 31, 2009 | 10:22 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, March 31, 2009 | 12:24 p.m.

The problem with renewable energy in Nevada (3-8-2009)
Second coal-fired plant project canceled in Nevada (3-5-2009)
NV Energy, solar company to build in Southern Nevada (3-3-2009)
NV Energy puts brakes on controversial power line (2-27-2009)

CARSON CITY – Gov. Jim Gibbons has called on the Legislature to pass a bill with tax abatements and tougher environmental standards to make Nevada energy independent by the year 2020.

Gibbons, making his first appearance before lawmakers since his State of the State address, told a Senate committee that $2 billion a year is going outside Nevada to import energy. Keeping it within Nevada would produce a $4-$12 billion impact on the state’s economy.

Sen. Mike Schneider, chairman of the Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation Committee, questioned where the profit was for Nevada in building these renewable energy plants. Schneider said Nevada would be exporting its energy to surrounding states that have corporate and other taxes.

“We’re nervous that we are giving away the farm and not getting anything in return,” Schneider said. Once the plant is built, it doesn’t create a lot of high-paying jobs.

Schneider said there are questions about Gibbons’ proposal. Schneider and Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, said a section of the bill limiting companies from selling electricity only in Nevada would be unconstitutional.

Townsend, the senior Republican on the committee, asked Gibbons’ energy office to supply information from surrounding states to show what benefits they are granting to encourage renewable energy. He also wanted to know how surrounding states tax such projects.

“It’s important we see a side-by-side comparison” before giving tax breaks, said Townsend.

“Just because it’s the governor’s bill, doesn’t mean it will happen,” Schneider said of its chance at passage.

Gibbons told reporters after the hearing that Nevada residents will benefit from lower energy costs and construction workers would remain here to build other plants.

He said he opposes imposing any taxes on the emerging industry.

Senate Bill 395 would change existing tax abatement programs for new or expanded businesses. It would offer abatements to plants that transmit electricity from renewable resources as well as facilities that manufacture, research or design renewable energy equipment.

The governor is also proposing tax abatements for lines and collector systems that transmit electricity from renewable energy, while removing the sales and use tax abatement from local school support tax. That would mean more money for schools.

“By removing the local school support tax, the tools needed to recruit new companies will be balanced with the need to protect funding for our children,” he said.

Nevada is two years ahead of the surrounding states in pushing for renewable energy, a prime goal of his administration, he said.

“We have to maintain our competitiveness,” he said, adding he does not support adding a corporate income tax on these prospective industries.

His bill will require the state purchasing division to adopt regulation to require the state to buy energy efficient appliances, equipment and lighting.

The state Public Works Board will adopt guidelines so state buildings are using energy and water in the most efficient and cost-effective means available. And the public works board would be authorized to use renewable energy to supply state buildings.

The goal is to have 25 percent of the electricity sold to consumers produced from renewable energy.

The amount of greenhouse gases would be restricted in new power generation plants. Auto dealers would be required to disclose the amount of carbon dioxide emission for all new vehicle sales starting with 2012 models.

The committee Monday approved SB152 that will use federal stimulus money to train some 3,200 workers for weatherization projects. The bill would require the state, universities and the school districts to identify and weatherize public buildings.

That bill will go to the floor of the Senate.

Discussion: 10 comments so far…

By Judy

3/31/09 at 11:31 a.m.

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Mike Schneider and all Nevadans should be nervous. When Gibbons speaks anything and everything he says should be met with skepticism. He has lied over and over again, has never been able to do anything he promised and in fact has weakened this state by his taking up space in the office (even when he is not there).

Legislators need to act without considering anything this baffoon has to offer.
By afveteran

3/31/09 at 12:07 p.m.

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I take information given out to the public by Gibbon's office with a large dose of salt. Most of it is outrageously errroneous, and the rest of it is pure fantasy.
By LV4LIFE

3/31/09 at 12:22 p.m.

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I really don't care what comes out of Gibbon's mouth anymore.
By airweare

3/31/09 at 2:04 p.m.

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Federal stimulus dollars will train 3200 Nevadans to weatherize our structures. Hey, this could be a chance to seal Gibbons out. He is a cold wind. We really don't want that kind of nuisance blowing through our homes, sexmessaging our moms. Caulk him to a rolling truck tire. Send him out of state. Install him on a roof like a vent and let him bake in the sun. Blow him into an attic and let him steam. He is of more value as insulation than as a governor. His decision to devalue our state, impoverish our children and demoralize our populace with his rubbish has brought out a totally new attitude about how we need a governor who is both capable and willing to assist the people of this state. Jimbo is neither capable or willing. Let's retire him and get someone worthy of the position.
By DS

3/31/09 at 5:58 p.m.

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Why am I not surprised by the four proceeding comments? Losers seem to dislike Gov. Gibbons for obvious reasons. Good thing the productive members of our state think he's great!
By GABESTA535

3/31/09 at 6:19 p.m.

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DS you must work for Gibbons. NOONE thinks he is doing a good job. The whole Gibbons thing would be funny if he wasn't running Nevada into the ground.
By captainamerica

3/31/09 at 6:41 p.m.

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Once again I ask. Why hasn't the Assembly and Senate impeached Gibbons? They are almost as worthless as He is. They are derelict in their duty. Where are the recall petitions? I want to sign on.
By Ardent

3/31/09 at 10:17 p.m.

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Once again, as this article and the accompanying blog posts illustrate abundantly, the "sheeple" of Nevada once again fail to ask the basic questions and get distracted by purely political or policy issues.

I see the same childish and "magical" thinking, completely irrational and not only unscientific but anti-scientific, that on the one hand can conclude without any evidence that a plan like Yucca Mountain is dangerous and flawed, but on the other hand (also without evidence) will accept as a given the promise of "renewable energy."

No one is asking the basic question (and this is true across the nation): "What kind of renewable energy, and how much electricity can we get from it." The Sun's Lisa Mascaro recently attempted a prophecy in one of her articles, saying that Nevadans would one day look back on this time and wonder what we were thinking as we dragged our heels on renewable energy. She, like most Americans, seems to assume that renewable energy is ready to go: All it requires is political will and "Smart Grid" technology like the Obama administration is touting.

But here's an example question that never gets answered by this crowd: If wind power produces one megawatt of electricity for every 60 acres of wind farm, and if therefore 60,000 acres of land would be required to produce the energy equivalent of one coal-fired or nuclear plant, and furthermore if the energy output/land use ratio is similar for solar, then how is Nevada going to produce 25% of its energy from these sources without turning the entire state into a giant wind farm/solar panel?

More importantly, how are we going to manage the baseload issue if renewables like wind and solar are largely intermittent sources with capacity levels usually around 20 percent? These are the tough scientific and technical questions that no one ever seems to raise in the midst of this absurd euphoria over renewable energy. But then again, these questions require things like math and objectivity, analysis of data and study of impacts, reason and realism, practicality.

Never mind. What was I thinking? This is the state that believes nuclear waste is a glowing green liquid sloshing around in 55-gallon drums; this is the state that builds massive water-intensive projects, up to and including artificial lakes, in clear defiance of the Reality Principle, which everywhere proclaims that we live in a desert.
By pmmart

4/1/09 at 7:26 a.m.

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Other than disliking the Gov. for his largely self-inflicted personal issues I really haven't seen where anyone has made a case for mis-management of the states limited resources.

If you read any newspapers from other states you will find that Nevada isn't any better off [or worse] than these states are... yet one gets the impression from reading our local papers , radio and TV and letters such as those above that Nevada is a special case.

Another point .. I haven't read where any of those critizing the Gov. are offering viable alternatives to finance all of their wish list items.
By rusty57

4/1/09 at 10:19 a.m.

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Well of course you're importing electricity, you've just cancelled two huge coal plants. Now you're going to turn to net exporter in ten years from heavily subsidized alternatives. And turn a profit. Wow. You can't make this stuff up.