A resolution to protect 30% of Nevada’s lands and waters by 2030 is advancing in the legislature, as is a bill that would set energy efficiency standards for a wide range of appliances.

But several energy-related bills have missed deadlines and died during the state’s 120-day legislative session. Among those is Assembly Bill 380, which would have increased scrutiny of natural gas utilities’ long-range infrastructure plans.

Senate Bill 382, which aimed to set higher energy-savings targets for efficiency programs run by the state’s electric utility, NV Energy, has also died.

Meanwhile, what may be the session’s biggest energy-related bill has not yet been introduced. Sen. Chris Brooks (D) is planning a bill that would boost electric transmission, increase investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and align electric utilities’ integrated resource planning process with the state’s carbon reduction goals. (See Nev. Bill Would Spur Tx, Clean Energy Buildout.)

In terms of transmission, Brooks said the bill would prescribe the construction of a few transmission elements and then form a task force to make recommendations on further transmission improvements. Brooks discussed the bill last month during a Conservation Lobby Week event hosted by the Nevada Conservation Network. “You’ll see that it’s going to move the needle … in a really significant way on renewable energy production in the state of Nevada.”

Brooks said at the time that all deadlines for his bill had been waived. The legislature would simply need to pass the bill by the time the session ends on May 31.

On Friday, Brooks’ office told NetZero Insider that the timeline for the bill was still unclear.

Bills Moving Forward

The legislature meets every other year and convened for this year’s session on Feb. 1. The deadline for bills to be passed by committee in their house of origin was April 9. That was followed by an April 20 deadline for bills to be passed by their house of origin.

In some cases, bills may be declared exempt from deadlines.

Assembly Joint Resolution 3 (AJR3) made both April deadlines. The resolution would urge state and local governments to work with federal agencies to reach a target of protecting 30% of Nevada’s lands and waters by 2030, a goal often referred to as “30-by-30.” Conserving land can boost natural carbon sequestration and help combat climate change, according to the resolution, whose sponsors include Assemblywoman Cecelia Gonzalez (D).

The Assembly passed AJR3 on April 9 on a 26-16 party-line vote, with Democrats in favor. The bill has moved to the Senate, where it has been referred to the Committee on Natural Resources.

Clark County Commissioners voted unanimously last week to endorse a 30-by-30 resolution for Nevada. Clark County is the state’s largest county and home to Las Vegas. Conservation may be accomplished through actions such as designating sites as wilderness areas, national parks, recreation areas or state, county or city parks, the county’s resolution states.

Another bill moving forward is Assembly Bill 383 sponsored by Assemblyman Howard Watts. The bill would create energy efficiency standards for a long list of appliances, including computers, electric vehicle supply equipment, gas fireplaces and commercial dishwashers and ovens.

The Assembly Committee on Growth and Infrastructure passed AB383, which has been declared exempt from certain deadlines.

Another bill by Watts, AB349, would close what’s referred to as the state’s “classic-car loophole,” in which cars that are 20 years or older may be registered as classic vehicles and receive an exemption from smog checks.

Critics say the system allows residents to avoid smog checks for vehicles that many people wouldn’t consider classic. Under AB349, the classic-car designation couldn’t be applied to cars that are used for general transportation, defined as being driven more than 5,000 miles a year.

The Assembly Committee on Growth and Infrastructure passed the bill, which has been declared exempt from deadlines.

Bills That Have Died

AB380 by Assemblywoman Lesley Cohen (D), faced intense opposition from Southwest Gas. The state’s largest natural gas utility said the bill would essentially ban natural gas in Nevada. (See Bill Would Tighten Oversight for Nevada Gas Providers.)

The bill would have required Nevada’s natural gas utilities to seek approval every three years for their long-term infrastructure plans, with a detailed cost-benefit analysis and comparison to alternatives, including doing nothing.

Proponents said the bill would help prevent unnecessary spending as the state moves away from natural gas as part of efforts to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The Assembly Committee on Growth and Infrastructure held a hearing on the bill but did not vote on it.

Another failed bill, SB382, would have required NV Energy to meet an energy savings target equal to 1.3% of retail sales, up from the 1.1% target now set by regulation. The utility would have been required to spend at least 10% of its energy efficiency budget on programs for low-income customers, twice the current level of 5%.

The Senate Committee on Growth and Infrastructure, which sponsored the bill, held a hearing on it on April 5 but took no action.

In a press release issued by Gov. Steve Sisolak’s office, Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson (D) said the COVID-19 pandemic had caused “unprecedented challenges to our legislative process, making it a difficult environment for robust discussion and debate.”

“While some bills related to acting on climate change did not move forward this session, we no less remain committed to addressing the climate crisis and will continue to push Nevada to be a leader in the clean-energy economy,” Frierson said.

Sisolak said in the release that reducing the amount of natural gas used in Nevada is necessary for meeting the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals.

“I appreciate the Nevada Legislature’s effort to kickstart the discussion on the issue, and I believe further review by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada would be appropriate to continue it,” Sisolak said.

Some Republican-sponsored bills on energy also failed to move forward this session. Those include SB197 by Sen. Joseph Hardy (R), which would have required the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada to track the types and amounts of renewable energy generated in the state, and how much was imported and exported. (See Bill Would Track Renewable Trade Flows.)

The Senate Committee on Growth and Infrastructure heard the bill but took no action.

The committee also held a hearing, but took no action, on SB191 by Sen. James Settelmeyer (R). The bill would have imposed a 10% surcharge on electric service sold by an EV charging station. (See Nev. Bill Would Tax EV Charging.)