Ballot question on renewable energy will be good for Nevada

The Review-Journal’s June 30 editorial, “RPS amendment would decrease energy choice,” overstates the cost of renewable energy and underplays the initiative’s benefits to Nevada. Our ballot measure to increase the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2030 will help give a voice to Nevadans who want cleaner air and lower power bills and will serve as an accountability measure to ensure we are doing all we can to improve our environment and economy.

Here are a few key points the Review-Journal missed:

— The RPS measure is not a new mandate. It’s a policy we’ve had since 1997.

— Our initiative will lower power bills. Renewable electricity generation from solar and wind is cheaper per megawatt hour than power from sources such as natural gas, which provides the state with two-thirds of its electricity.

— Natural gas and other fossil fuels are subject to price swings and receive federal subsidies. They are finite resources. Renewables are not.

— We import $700 million worth of fossil fuel energy annually from other states and line the pockets of their workers and businesses. Our initiative creates tens of thousands of jobs and brings in billions worth of investment here in Nevada.

— In the past decade, 35 renewable projects in the state generated $7 billion in economic investments.

Nevada is on track to hit its current RPS of 25 percent by 2025. If the current power providers in the state can achieve this, there’s no reason why others could not follow suit in the future.