Political Eye: Seniors group wants Nevada to join CO2 legal challenge

A national nonpartisan group of senior citizens has sent an open letter to Gov. Brian Sandoval and state Attorney General Adam Laxalt urging them to join in a lawsuit seeking to stop the EPA from enacting the Clean Power Plan regulation it completed in October.

The 60 Plus Association, the nation's largest center-right seniors organization with over 7.2 million supporters, said 27 state attorneys general have joined in the suit.

The letter says that if the regulation is enacted, it will cause electricity rates in Nevada to rise 19 percent annually, on average, through 2032 with the costs falling disproportionately on the poor and elderly.

In the letter, 60 Plus Vice President Matthew Kandrach said: "There is a way for Nevada to fight back. The 60 Plus Association urges every electricity consumer in Nevada to join us in encouraging you to join 27 other states and sue the EPA over its illegal plan. Nevada's most vulnerable are counting on it."

A copy of the letter can be found here: http://60plus.org/open-letter-to-nevada-gov-sandoval-attorney-general-laxalt-to-help-stop-the-epas-attack-on-seniors/

It is not clear where the group is getting its information about utility increases. The letter quotes a recent study conducted by the independent research firm National Economic Research Associates.

Many Nevada residents and groups that have commented on the regulation to reduce CO2 emissions from power plants say the state should meet the new requirements easily given the shift away from coal-powered plants that is already underway.

For Nevada, the final goal in 2030 is 855 pounds of CO2 per megawatt hour. Nevada is expected to achieve a level of 578 pounds by that year according to one estimate.

Nevada is not contemplating a legal challenge to the standards.

— Sean Whaley

Business tax climate index drops

Nevada has the fifth-best ranking for its state business tax climate, according to a national index compiled by the Tax Foundation.

There's also bad news in that ranking.

It's down from having the third-highest overall ranking in the index last year.

The dip is even more dramatic on the index's corporate tax ranking component, which had Nevada dropping from first in the nation to fourth.

That's due to the state Legislature's passage this year of a new gross receipts tax, according to the foundation, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization. Lawmakers passed the increase to generate revenues for Gov. Brian Sandoval's education reform package.

The ranking, which assesses states for the upcoming year, is intended to demonstrate the effectiveness of each state's tax structure.

The four states that outrank Nevada on the overall ranking system are Florida, Alaska, South Dakota and Wyoming, which are ranked from fourth to first best, respectively.

— Ben Botkin

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900. Find him on Twitter: @seanw801. Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1.