Laxalt, Sisolak far apart on energy policies including higher RPS, new scorecard finds
A clean energy trade association says Nevada gubernatorial candidates Steve Sisolak and Adam Laxalt have divergent views on major energy policy issues, including support for raising the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard.
The scorecard assembled by Advanced Energy Economy — a trade association founded by venture capitalist Tom Steyer that supports “affordable, clean, and secure” energy — is one of nine released Tuesday showing the energy positions held by gubernatorial candidates in those states.
The scorecard, which was based on meetings the trade association held with candidates in May, found that Sisolak supported all six clean energy policies outlined by the group, including:
- Raising the state’s RPS
- Supporting “community solar” projects
- Expanding energy storage
- Supporting electrifying means of transportation
- Increasing energy efficiency and demand responses
- Modernizing the grid
The scorecard marked Laxalt as opposed to raising the RPS and silent on the other five issues. His campaign did not return an email seeking his position on those issues, though his campaign website states he will oppose any “efforts to impose or expand costly and burdensome mandates on energy providers, which only lead to higher prices that hurt Nevada’s families, and have a particularly damaging impact on those with lower incomes.”
Nevada’s current Renewable Portfolio Standard is set at 25 percent by 2025, and an effort to raise it to 40 percent by 2030 by vetoed by Gov. Brian Sandoval after the 2017 legislative session. A group funded by another Steyer-backed organization is supporting a proposed constitutional amendment that would raise Nevada’s RPS to 50 percent by 2030, if approved by voters in 2018 and 2020.
Advanced Energy Economy said that 14 of the gubernatorial candidates polled expressed support for one of the trade organization’s policy priorities and will run targeted digital advertising in all nine states ahead of Election Day to “help voters learn more about the energy policies of gubernatorial hopefuls.”
Disclosure: Steve Sisolak has donated to The Nevada Independent. You can see a full list of donors here.