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(Nevada News Service) The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada last week heard local leaders' concerns during consumer sessions, where people protested increasing utility bills from NV Energy and Southwest Gas and challenged what they see as the companies' deepening dependence on fossil fuels.

Kristee Watson, executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, contended that NV Energy wants to push for methane-gas spending - a fuel source she said has "dangerous" implications for the environment, but also would affect Nevadans' pocketbooks.

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"When we are reliant on a dirty, volatile source of energy such as methane gas," she said, "Nevadans are always at risk of spikes, and riding the wave of whatever this commodity is going to cost."

Watson pointed to what she called the "unpredictability" of fossil fuels as energy sources. Her organization and others are asking the PUCN to prioritize clean, affordable and reliable energy. They cite solar power as an example that could not only benefit Nevada, but neighboring states as well.

In a statement, NV Energy said, "In Southern Nevada, bills will be lower by the end of 2024 than they were in 2023 ... we've heard from our customers, and we always work to keep bills affordable."

Dr. Joanne Leovy, steering chair for Nevada Clinicians for Climate Action, said her group believes the PUCN should make climate goals a top priority and start considering public health implications in their decisionmaking. She said that is something not currently mandated, and called it "a shame," noting that the health costs related to fossil fuels are high.

"Really," she said, "by every delay in transitioning fully to renewable energy, it's a lost opportunity, both to improve health and to reduce costs."

Leovy said the impacts include air pollution, which causes or exacerbates a variety of health conditions that directly affect communities. The groups have put information about the impacts of utility energy decisions online at utilitywatchnv.org.