Part 5: Energy Plays, Brokers in Nevada Utilities

Mining needs power, and that’s where energy lobbyists step in, wiring Nevada’s future. NV Energy, our dominant provider, spent $260,000 in 2018 alone on federal issues, per reports, influencing everything from renewable mandates to rate hikes.

Example: The 2019 energy choice initiative aimed to break NV Energy’s hold, letting consumers pick providers. Lobbyists countered with ads and data, claiming blackouts, and voters rejected it. Now, with solar booming, they’ve lobbied for incentives, helping Nevada hit 25% renewable by 2023.

Conservative insight: This can promote innovation, yet when it funnels ratepayers’ money into lobbying, it’s like taxing us for crony gains. I spoke to a Sparks resident hit by a bill spike after a lobbied policy, “It’s “it’s not market freedom, it’s monopoly protection.”

Nationally, this mirrors big oil’s influence. But how does federal lobbying ripple to Nevada? Next part uncovers that, linking local plays to Washington moves that could supercharge or stifle our state.

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