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The Nevada Independent

Energy

The sign at NV Energy corporate headquarters

Will a $7,600 price tag derail a bill to better track utility shutoffs in Nevada?

Just two weeks after an investigation found that NV Energy overcharged tens of thousands of customers over the span of more than two decades, likely resulting in the shutoff of electricity for some customers, state lawmakers have stalled a bill that would require the utility to provide quarterly updates of where utility shut offs are occurring in the state.

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Construction at Lithium Americas' Thacker Pass Workforce Hub in Winnemucca.

‘Beholden to the mine’: Does rural Nevada depend on mines’ goodwill to foot hidden costs?

While coming large-scale lithium mines and their future employees will bring revenue and jobs to rural Nevada communities hungry for an economic jolt, they’ll also bring growing pains. Rural counties will be on the hook to come up with the money to fund critical infrastructure and other expenses — but, with proceeds from the mines not reaching the counties until production is underway, those same counties have limited ways to prepare or pay for expenses in advance.

Fire crews battle the Callahan Fire, which caused the evacuations of hundreds of homes southwest of Reno on Nov. 11, 2024. (Courtesy/Reno Fire Department via AP)

With outside firms reluctant to shoulder wildfire risks, NV Energy wants to insure itself

Between 2016 and 2020, it is estimated utility infrastructure caused nearly one-fifth of all wildfires. Major utilities found responsible for some of them, such as California’s PG&E, were forced to file for bankruptcy after being unable to pay for damages caused by the fires, an outcome NV Energy is looking to avoid. Now, the utility is now asking state energy regulators to approve a $500 million wildfire self-insurance policy to protect it in case its equipment sparks a blaze.

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