LAS VEGAS - Nevadans have the chance this evening to put in their two cents about a proposed rate hike on gas bills.

The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada will hold a hearing at 6 p.m. at its offices in Las Vegas and Carson City, taking public comments, both in person and by phone. Southwest Gas is proposing to raise rates by an average of $3.39 a month in southern Nevada and $3.49 a month in the northern part of the state.

Hector Fong Jr., communications manager for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, called this rate increase ill-timed, since households already are struggling.

"We can't be burdening Nevadans right now, at a time when we're still recovering from the pandemic," he said, "especially with the omicron variant on the horizon."

On its website, Southwest Gas said the increases would raise $30.5 million, which would be used to maintain its current level of service. The company recently spent almost $2 million to purchase an out-of-state pipeline.

Last year, Gov. Steve Sisolak released a climate strategy that calls for Nevada to move away from fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas. Fong said the state needs to stop using natural gas to generate power or heat homes and commercial buildings.

"If Nevada wants to meet its climate goals," Fong said, "we need to take bold and drastic action to move away from non-renewable energy like natural gas or methane gas."

Find the call-in numbers and the link to view the hearing on the PUCN's website. A decision is expected early next year.

Nebraska ag producers and small businesses have until Sept. 30 to apply for the latest funding round of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Energy for America Program, part of the Farm Bill providing grants and guaranteed loans for renewable energy systems or energy efficiency improvements.

The Inflation Reduction Act included nearly $2 billion for projects under the program.

Christopher Faber, state energy coordinator for Nebraska USDA Rural Development, said the legislation also increased the percentage of funding allotted to grants from 25% to 50%.

"To be eligible for those projects, you either need to be an agricultural producer which would be involved in the day-to-day operations of the farm production and at least 50% of their income would come from that, or be a rural small business and be in a population area of less than 50,000," Faber explained.

Darr Grain in Cozad is building two wind turbines with the help of funding from the program which could save the company as much as $10,000 a year in electricity costs. Faber pointed out free grant-writing assistance is available for those wanting help with the application process.

Funding from the program allowed fourth-generation farmer and rancher Alan Koelling in Ord to purchase a new centrifuge for his family's sunflower oil company, Simply Sunflowers. Koelling said not only is the centrifuge more energy efficient, it was instrumental in growing their business.

"We hit a bottleneck, and the centrifuge was a big help in speeding up our process of cleaning our oil," Koelling explained. "As we can increase production, we can naturally increase our sales."

Koelling acknowledged it might have been years before they were able to purchase the centrifuge. The funding allowed them to increase production at a time when there was a void in the supply of sunflower oil. He added it also made it possible for them to employ several people part-time, which was one of their goals.

"Because it's really challenging in rural Nebraska to make ends meet with one income, and this gives families a chance for a supplemental income," Koelling noted. "Sometimes that's just enough to make life easier and better for a family."

Rural Energy for America Program funding is part of the Biden-Harris Justice 40 Initiative.


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The Biden administration is enhancing the nation's power grid by funding several storage, resilience and transmission projects.

The money will affect 18 states, including a massive data center in Northern Virginia.

Vince Barnett, Industry Leader - Data Centers for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, said there is a lot of demand for power in the area. About 70% of the world's internet traffic flows through Loudoun County.

"We've got some of the best work talent across the nation," Barnett asserted. "We've got one of the strongest tech communities. We've got great utility partners, and on and on down the list. So all of that plays into this."

The region's tech sector is expected to keep growing. Amazon announced a $35 billion plan for new data centers in Northern Virginia last year. And the rise of remote work, streaming and artificial intelligence will require more computer servers, hardware and cooling fans. All that means data centers could need about 9% of the nation's electricity generation by 2030, about double what it consumes today.

The federal money comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and invests in tech such as battery storage and power lines. One of the goals is to make power infrastructure more resilient against extreme weather events. Barnett pointed out it will also expand work opportunities and tax coffers in Virginia.

"Last year, 2023, data centers directly provided roughly 12,000 operational jobs," Barnett noted. "That's the data center jobs themselves, and another 14,000 construction jobs. That represents about $2.8 billion in operational and construction pay and benefits."

This round of money follows a $3.5 billion funding announcement last fall for the same federal program. Virginia data center projects have faced local opposition about noise and environmental concerns.


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New Mexico is taking a page from Colorado's Office of Just Transition to support communities affected by climate change.

The office aims to support workers and communities negatively affected as the country transitions away from traditional energy sources. At the University of New Mexico, the Just Transition Grand Challenge team is developing its own policies to ensure the transition to a low-carbon economy is equitable.

Gabe Pacyniak, professor of law at the University of New Mexico and co-convener of the Grand Challenge team, said opportunities must be created for all people; Hispanic, Native, and Black communities, as well as those living and working in the oil and gas fields.

"What can we do to help fossil fuel communities transition as those fossil fuel economies move away from that source of economic production," Pacyniak explained.

Leaning into the state's 2019 Energy Transition Act, Pacyniak said the team wants to help communities who might not have adequate staff or resources to seek money available from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.

The university will host Grand Challenges Day Nov. 12 on the Albuquerque campus.

Pacyniak pointed out an obvious energy transition for a new, low-carbon economy in a sunny state like New Mexico is the installation of more solar. He noted he pays about $8 a month for energy after installing solar panels but knows it is not possible for everyone.

"Lots of people don't have their owns roofs. They live in multifamily housing," Pacyniak pointed out. "One aspect of a just transition is thinking about, 'How can we make sure that the same kind of benefit from this transition is available to people who live in multifamily housing?'"

He added New Mexico communities most affected by energy transition are concerned about the loss of property taxes, which pay for things like school districts, libraries and fire departments.


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