The 2009 Nevada Legislature took giant steps toward a clean energy economy. Highlights include:

•    Increasing the percentage of the state’s energy that must come from renewable energy (as opposed to coal or natural gas) from 20 percent by 2015 to 25 percent by 2025. These bills, SB 358 and AB 387 also encourage energy efficiency measures to save electricity.
- This is one of the more progressive Renewable Portfolio Standards in the nation.
- This prepares Nevada for federal efforts to increase renewable energy output. The ACES bill that passed the House requires electric utilities to meet 20 percent of their electricity demand through renewable energy sources and energy efficiency by 2020.  

•    AB 522 will grant property, sales and use taxes for solar, geothermal and wind power plants, plus transmission facilities, for up to 40 years.
- In order to qualify, the facility must produce a certain number of full-time jobs, depending on the size of the county where the facility is located, and provide a salary of 110 percent of the average statewide hourly wage, plus health insurance for construction workers who build the facility. Employers must try to hire at least 30 percent of their workers from Nevada.

•    One of the biggest problems of harnessing renewable energy is that solar, wind and geothermal plants might thrive in remote areas of Nevada, but there it is extremely expensive to build transmission lines to bring that power to the homes, businesses and other buildings that need it around the state.
- The Public Utility Commission and utilities will now be required to create a plan to expand transmission lines to renewable energy zones around the state under AB 387.

•    Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford's "green jobs initiative” allows for use of stimulus funds to train about 3,200 workers to perform weatherization, energy retrofit applications and energy audits, which could help consumers save money on their utility bills. (SB 152)
- Sen. Horsford was profiled on NBC’s Nightly News for his efforts to create new green jobs. To watch, click here. 

•    Homeowners Associations are now prohibited from restricting homeowners from installing wind or solar energy systems, or from installing interior and exterior window or door shutters designed to improve energy efficiency. (SB 216, SB 114)

•    SB 165 prepares Nevada utilities – and their customers – for the possibility of federal legislation that would make polluters pay for their carbon emissions.
- The Public Utilities Commission will not account for the future cost of carbon in their resource planning regulations.
- This ensures that NV Energy and other utilities are looking at more renewable energy sources, and realize that fossil fuel-generated electricity will ultimately create higher electricity prices for Nevada ratepayers.
- Fortunately, this bill will have less of an impact on Nevada utilities now that they are moving away from building coal plants and moving toward additional renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.