SolarCity cuts 550 Nevada jobs, blames new net metering rate
By Sean Whaley |January 6, 2016 CARSON CITY — The rooftop-solar company SolarCity said Wednesday it has been forced to eliminate more than 550 jobs in Nevada because of the new net metering rate approved by the state Public Utilities Commission on Dec. 22. Where possible, the company said it will relocate affected employees to “business-friendly” […]
GOP contenders tread carefully in Oregon standoff
By Kyle Cheney |January 4, 2016 Marco Rubio on Monday condemned the band of anti-government protesters occupying a wildlife refuge in Oregon as “lawless.” But he was quick to add a caveat: “And I agree that there is too much federal control over land, especially out in the western part of the United States,” the Florida senator […]
Not prosecuting lawbreakers leads to more crime
By Steve Sebelius |January 5, 2016 There are many reasons why the ongoing armed standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon happened. Chief among them: the federal government’s inaction since the last standoff with armed insurrectionists, near Bunkerville in 2014. That’s when notorious rancher Cliven Bundy issued a call for a “range war” after […]
The Fix How the Bundys won in Nevada and what the government needs to do differently in Oregon
By Amber Phillips |January 5, 2016 In his 34 years in government, Bob Abbey has seen a lot of drama out West. He ran the Bureau of Land Management, one of the agencies at the center of the armed occupation of a federal wildlife building in Oregon, for three years, and before that he ran […]
Bundy occupation enters 3rd day; protesters told to go home
By Ben Botkin |January 4, 2016 BURNS, Ore. — Ammon Bundy’s goal is to reverse transactions that moved control of lands from ranchers to the federal government. What’s unclear: Exactly how he intends to do that as he occupies for the third day the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge south of Burns in southeastern […]
The Oregon militia standoff, explained
By Jennifer Williams |January 3, 2016 A militia protesting the “tyranny” of the federal government seized the headquarters of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon on Saturday and, in a video posted to Facebook, called on “patriots” from all over the country to come to the refuge with their guns to join their fight. Among the […]
Buffett’s Bolshevik: Dissecting NV Energy’s Soviet-Style Sabotage Of Distributed Energy
By William Pentland |December 27, 2015 On Wednesday, Nevada’s Public Utility Commission (PUC) radically revised the state’s net-energy metering (NEM) rules, which determine the price utilities pay for electricity supplied by customer-sited solar panels to utilities. Under the revised NEM rules, utilities will pay significantly less for electricity purchased from customers with rooftop solar panels than […]
Nevada uniquely positioned to lead nation on renewable energy
By Steve Trenholm and Mick Baird |December 24, 2015 Gov. Brian Sandoval’s renewable energy leadership continues to position Nevada as a clean energy economic growth engine. Recently, the governor directed state agencies to begin working toward Clean Power Plan compliance, reducing carbon pollution from existing power plants. “By pursuing the strategy, we will … provide […]
Why SolarCity Plans to Ditch Nevada
By Katie Fehrenbacher |December 24, 2015 The largest solar installer in the U.S., SolarCity, said on Wednesday that it will stop selling and installing solar panels on rooftops across Nevada after the state’s regulator approved a new plan to add fees and lower compensation for owners of home and commercial solar systems. SolarCity’s CEO Lyndon Rive […]
Nevada Regulators Eliminate Retail Rate Net Metering for New and Existing Solar Customers
By Julia Pyper |December 23, 2015 The Nevada Public Utility Commission voted unanimously in favor of a new solar tariff structure on Tuesday that industry groups say will destroy the Nevada solar market, one of the fastest-growing markets in the country. The decision increases the fixed service charge for net-metered solar customers, and gradually lowers compensation […]