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More craziness on the power front

In response to the July 13 story, “Switch sues commission, NV Energy” for being prevented from exiting the utility:

Switch contends that NV Energy is paying 3.8 cents per kilowatt hour for solar while charging them an exorbitant 9 cents. So why are we all being asked to further subsidize the residential rooftop solar owners by paying them 11 cents?

Meanwhile, Wynn and MGM Resorts are going to exit the NV Energy power grid, buying power from Tenaska, a private company. As stated in a July 12 Review-Journal story, in order to protect NV Energy’s remaining customers these two companies will pay substantial exit fees of $15.7 million and $86.9 million.

This maneuver by some of Clark County’s finest taxpayers gives rise to unresolved issues.

Where is there any clear public explanation of how this financial settlement will actually protect all of us going forward? Who among the remaining will receive protection and in what form will it be? Surely the 2 percent of Nevada’s homeowners with heavily subsidized residential rooftop solar installations don’t need even more financial assistance from Nevada’s taxpayers and ratepayers. Why wasn’t there an exit penalty for the rooftop solar installations?

Any exit fee should have been accompanied by a mandatory return fee. Should Wynn, MGM or residential solar owners wish to return to full-grid status, NV Energy and its existing clients would be required to significantly ramp-up capacity to meet the needs of the returned.

Unintended consequences are always grandfathered in when politicians attempt to merge the need for campaign money with lobbyist interests and the financial realities of the real world. Getting things done in Carson City may be messy, but getting them undone is even messier.

Nevada’s part-time legislators allowed all this to happen, and I’m certain they have little memory of who, what, where and why this craziness came to pass.

Richard Rychtarik

Las Vegas

Bad Bern

I just read in the Review-Journal that Bernie Sanders has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. How in the world would I believe this guy now, when just a month ago, he was totally against Mrs. Clinton and said all these things about her? Does this mean Mr. Sanders was lying all this time? Or did Mrs. Clinton promise him a position if she wins?

I just cannot believe this guy now. Another lying politician.

Miguel Reyes-Cuerva

Henderson

Ballot question

In response to the July 8 story, ”Latin Chamber endorses firearm ballot measure”:

Maggie Arias-Petrel, chairwoman of the Latin Chamber, claims “passing Question 1 will make it harder for dangerous people to get guns, which will improve quality of life …” Nothing could be further from the truth.

Question 1 is a poorly written gun-control initiative that will not keep guns out the hands of criminals. Instead, the flawed measure would impose new government fees and mandates on law-abiding Nevadans that will cost them time, money and freedom. It would make criminals out of law-abiding gun owners for engaging in common, lawful activities.

For example, if a close friend or fiancé wanted to go shooting on BLM land and borrow a firearm, she must appear jointly at a federally licensed firearms dealer, pay a fee and undergo a background check. When finished, she must return to a licensed gun dealer and go through the whole process again. This is in addition to the background check both gun owners had to go through to buy their firearms.

If this sounds nuts, it is. More importantly, it does nothing to make Nevadans any safer.

Robert Uithoven

Reno

The writer is campaign manager of Nevadans for Freedom, which opposes state Question 1 that will appear on the November ballot.

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