NV Energy aggravates climate change

We feel blessed to have grown up in Reno, raised by parents who frequently took us on camping trips, picnics and hikes throughout the desert and mountains of Nevada. They instilled in us a sense of awe and reverence for the miracle of living among such natural wonder. We are deeply saddened to see that beauty slipping away, with half of our beloved Sagebrush alone destroyed in 40 years.

But our sadness turns to anger, knowing it could disappear forever if NV Energy and other Berkshire Hathaway-owned utilities continue to put their profits ahead of a clean energy transition.

When our great-grandparents escaped the Irish famine and landed in Wadsworth, the Truckee Meadows was surrounded by 600-year-old trees, with 40-pound trout from Pyramid Lake spawning up the Truckee River. Those trees and fish are not only gone, they are forgotten, decimated by dams, excessive pollution and logging for the Comstock mines.

The deer- and bear-laden forests that remain around Reno, and trout-filled Truckee River, also could be gone and forgotten by future generations, given the rapid pace of climate change and the lackluster response of NV Energy and others who have gone from climate deniers to climate pretenders.

Born in 1957 (Cathy) and 1960 (B), we are closer to the exit than the entrance. We know that the actions taken by those of us who are alive today will impact hundreds of generations to come. That’s why we are part of a growing movement in Nevada to protest NV Energy and to make sure our governor, Legislature and Public Utilities Commission force them to do the right thing.

Cathy is new to activism, stepping up in her retirement to work with other, older Nevadans who are also new to activism in order to harness the power of our generation.

B has engaged in traditional policy work — advocating for laws and regulations that protect the common good — for 40 years in Nevada, and sees this getting more difficult as the system is further rigged.

Our hometown of Reno is the fastest-warming city in America, with average summer temperatures that are 10.9° hotter than in 1970. Last year, we saw the deadliest wildfires in over a century, Florida seawater hitting 101-degree hot-tub levels, and the hottest summer ever recorded.

We are angry and disappointed that NV Energy continues to: 1) kill rooftop solar and thwart community solar; 2) bypass the Integrated Resource Planning process to install expensive, short-lived fossil fuel energy plants via amendments; and 3) use ratepayer funds to pay for employee bonuses, corporate lobbyists and lavish entertainment, all while planning a threefold increase in our monthly base rate.

Nevada rooftops aren’t blazoned with solar panels because NV Energy kills every clean energy proposal unless it can own and profit from it.

Corporations like NV Energy and Berkshire Hathaway are responsible for climate change, high energy burdens and political corruption. They work with trade associations, dark money networks and lobbyists who spend untold amounts of money in Nevada and nationally to buy politicians and block advances like community and rooftop solar.

We can end our dependence on burning things for energy and stabilize our climate in the process — but only if NV Energy, its parent company Berkshire Hathaway and their ilk stop putting their profits before the future of our planet.

Like millions around the globe, we feel that the greatest task of generations alive today is to give our grandchildren and future generations a shot at a livable planet by hastening a green energy transition and ending the burning of fossil fuels. Please join us, beginning with speaking out at next month’s consumer sessions before the Public Utilities Commission.

Cathy Fulkerson is the co-facilitator of Third Act Nevada and B Fulkerson is the lead national organizer for Third Act.

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