Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak officially doubled Nevada’s renewable portfolio standard on Monday, laying the groundwork for thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars in economic impact of the coming decade. The new law positions the state to maintain the fastest job growth in the country for clean energy like solar, geothermal and wind.
Gov. Sisolak’s signing of Senate Bill 358 requires energy generated and used in Nevada to come from at least 50% clean energy sources by 2030, up from 25% by 2025 previously in state law. By signing the bill, Sisolak fulfilled one of his central campaign promises and responded to a ballot question last November in which Nevada voters overwhelmingly supported a stronger RPS.
With the new RPS, Nevada moves back into a leadership position among states with clean energy standards nationally. Access to clean solar and geothermal energy has been a selling point for the state to attract investment from businesses of all sizes that are seeking low-cost, dependable alternatives to fossil fuels.
The growth of Nevada’s clean energy economy helped SB 358, sponsored by Senator Chris Brooks, sail through the state Senate and Assembly without a single “no” vote. The legislation also enjoyed support from a broad coalition of businesses, local chambers of commerce, labor unions and community groups.
“In just over 100 days, Gov. Sisolak delivered on his energy promise by signing SB 358, a bill that significantly reshapes Nevada’s position as regional advanced energy leader,” said Ray Fakhoury, principal at Advanced Energy Economy. “We applaud the Governor for his commitment to bringing new jobs and investments to Nevada and thank Senator Chris Brooks for his continued leadership as an advanced energy champion.”
“We applaud Gov. Sisolak and the Nevada legislature for their leadership and for not gambling on the state’s clean energy future,” said Anne Kelly, VP of government relations at Ceres. “With so many companies looking to invest in renewable energy, a stronger RPS will help to spur investment in Nevada and ensure the state stays at the forefront of the transition to a clean energy economy.”
“NV Energy has been vocal about our aspirational goal of providing our customers with 100 percent renewable energy, and this is an important next step in accomplishing that,” said Doug Cannon, NV Energy president and CEO. “We announced our support of the renewable standard increase in 2018 and are honored to have worked closely with Governor Sisolak, Senator Chris Brooks, who was instrumental in leading this effort; and other stakeholders to accomplish this so early in the legislative session.”
“Nevada has long been a leader in solar, and the approval of Senate Bill 358 again puts the state at the forefront of our country’s clean energy transition,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, in a statement. “As a result, Nevadans will benefit from not only cleaner air and lower energy bills, but also from the thousands of new jobs this measure will create. In last November’s election, Nevadans demonstrated overwhelming support for increasing the use of renewable energy. Governor Sisolak, Senator Chris Brooks and the State Legislature deserve credit for listening to voters and moving quickly to enact SB 358.”
“Today, Nevada joins a growing list of states heeding the wishes of voters to prioritize clean, renewable power. This initiative will reduce emissions, save consumers money, and provide Nevadans with plenty of local, good-paying jobs,” said American Council on Renewable Energy president and CEO Gregory Wetstone in a statement. “We applaud Gov. Sisolak and the state lawmakers who championed this bill for their leadership, and look forward to the cleaner future that awaits the Silver State.”
News item from Clean Energy Works for Nevada
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