Third Act NV staffed many Voter Registration and Get Out the Vote events this season! (see below)

Coming up!

Rally with Bill McKibben!

Oct 25 6:-7:30 pm

Unitarian Fellowship

780 Del Monte Ln, Reno

COME meet TA founder Bill McKibben, writer Rebecca Solnit and

NV Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar!

THIRD ACT NEVADA ELECTION WORK!

August 22:  Job Corps Voter Reg! Third Act Nevada joined the Job Corps of Nevada, PLAN, and Rise (youth vote) to register Job Corps students and workers in Reno.

August 30:  Hungry Valley Powwow Voter Registration!

Sept 7: PRIDE! Third Actors marched and tabled at Reno Pride, celebrating diversity with 10,000 others!

Sept 10  First Time Voters watched the Presidential Debate!  Elvira Diaz threw a watch party where new voters were paired with experienced voter “godparents” to talk about voting, eat KAMALES, and cheer for Kamala and Climate!

Sept 17  Voter Registration Day at University of Nevada! Third Act, PLAN and Gen X tabled and registered YOUTH.

Sept 19  Kamala Harris and Oprah Winfrey Organizers’ rally!!  Kit Miller, TANV co-facilitator, was honored to represent Third Act Nevada at this fabulous online rally!

Sept 21 Pinenut Festival!  Third Activists joined Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar for a roll-out of early online voting for Native people living on Tribal land. We passed out QR codes to their ballots, and directed people to vote early at the Sec of State’s booth or at home!

Sept 28, 29: At Ruby Valley Treaty Days, a Shoshone and Intertribal gathering in Elko, NV; we gave out info and the QR code to vote online early!

August, September, and October:  Grace Potorti, of Reno, distributed 4,000 Voting Rights postcards to friends and family to write and send to voters. The postcards are images from quilts made in Washoe Valley, Nevada by the women of radical-threads.com. Radical threads has moved 60,000 cards out to voters to date.

Third Actors nationwide linked to our cards and sent thousands of postcards to swing state voters for Climate and Voting candidates.

October promises to be just as busy!! Please text Elvira Diaz if you can help with upcoming events. 775-203-5759

AND Don’t forget to come to our Oct 25 rally for the Climate! (see details above)

As a coalition, we’re sharing resources, expertise, and perspectives in organizing a unified front against NV Energy’s 2024 proposed rate restructuring and proposed new gas capacity as outlined in its next three-year Integrated Resource Plan. We’re also working toward advancing climate and community friendly energy legislation during the 2025 Nevada legislative session.

On June 13, members of Third Act Nevada provided public comment to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) consumer session on the proposed rate changes. Many activists and citizens spoke out against the increase to the basic service charge and the Sierra Club hosted a rousing press conference outside.

In July, one of our coalition members noted that the rate increase was in opposition to a partnership agreement between the City of Reno and NV Energy that emphasized equity and sustainability, among others. We then met with Mayor Schieve who was very supportive, we provided public comment at the next Reno City Council meeting and Councilwoman Duerr proposed agendizing it for their August 31 meeting in order to meet the PUCN deadline of August 12. City staff drafted a resolution opposing the basic service charge increase and then arranged a call including a few of our member organizations, NV Energy and Schieve and Duerr to discuss it. Public comment at the August 31 city council meeting was fierce! NV Energy and several unions opposed the resolution while numerous activists rose in support of it. However, the resolution that was read for approval was a watered-down version that opposed nothing! NV Energy is in lock-step with the unions and won’t let anything get in the way of their revenue stream and business as usual.

August is turning out to be just as active!

One of our coalition member organizations, PLAN, put together an electronic sign-up form and helped to organize an action outside the PUCN headquarters in Carson City on August 12. Fifty of us showed up with signs and banners and attended part of the morning’s hearing on NV Energy’s proposed rate change.

Because this was a hearing, public comment was not allowed and only official interveners were asked to provide input. After listening to NV Energy explain this regressive rate change as a benefit to customers, we all got up and left chanting “Unjust, Unfair!” This was the first of 25 coordinated utility justice actions across 17 states.

Now, we’re planning to launch an electronic petition, hear from Western Resource Advocates about NV Energy’s latest Integrated Resource Plan, meet with Nevada’s Bureau of Consumer Protection office, and provide more public comment at the PUCN’s general consumer session on August 28 at 1pm and 6pm in Reno.

Watch for ways that you can participate. We need to convince NV Energy and the PUCN that we will no longer accept business as usual, that we want no increase to our basic service change, and we want a clean and livable planet and expect them to lead the way by supporting the buildout of rooftop and community solar.

Written by Cathy Fulkerson

Over the past four years, the former president’s vitriol, racial divisiveness, and election denialism has been trying to deepen its roots.  Not surprisingly, events in Nevada have mirrored what’s happening more broadly in the country.  It’s not the better angels of our nature showing up in national headlines.

I was both embarrassed and outraged in  July/August 2020, when Douglas County’s  Sheriff Coverley’s belligerent threat to withdraw police support because of the librarian’s proposed diversity and inclusion statement showed up in USA Today and on CNN and, then, resulted in law enforcement’s subsequent laissez faire response when locals in camouflage gear, helmets and armed with semi-automatic rifles showed up to “protect” their sheriff from Black Lives Matter protesters.  I don’t know about you, but I’m in no hurry to claim the distinction of being one of seven states to put forth fake electors as part of the January 6^th insurrection.  And even more recently, Washoe County Commissioners’ latest refusal, albeit since resolved, to certify county primary results has been spotlighted and underscored as one piece of a greater strategy to set the stage for yet another round of election denialism.

Here we are, August 2024, closing in on a fast-approaching election date and the mood has us all almost giddy.  Invigorated Democrats along with our allies, new and old, are joining thousands around the nation to line up for action.  And a good thing, too.  We are leaving the diminished, fear-laden worldview hawked by billionaire-funded wannabe fascists in the rear-view mirror.    Try as they might to disavow their association with it, the Republican party is burdened with the Project 2025 albatross. And things are unfolding now that a few months ago we would have said had as much of a probability of happening as all of us simultaneously winning the lottery.

We haven’t won, yet.  But the chances are looking better.  Like many Democrats who have had enough of Trumpism, moderate Republicans are coming into the spotlight and moving resolutely to reclaim their party.

Prominent GOP officials in Arizona recently announced support for Kamala Harris and the Arizona Democratic senate candidate, Ruben Gallego. The Harris campaign is actively reaching out via their “Republicans for Harris” program and the list of supporters is growing.  It includes former republican congressional representatives, governors, U.S. Secretaries of Defense and Treasury, and White House staff.

As one of the seven swing states where the Harris-Walz campaign is gaining ground from where we were merely a month ago, the races are still nailbiters.  We have work to do.  It’s time to excavate and shine light on all that has been happening in the state of Nevada that is worth protecting, fighting for, and building upon.

As Leah Stokes outlines in her Guardian article Kamala Harris has street cred when it comes to climate.

Well beyond being the tie-breaking vote for the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), VP Harris managed to work behind the scenes to get many of her long-time climate policies signed into law in that bill.  Among those policies are:   $20B investment in green banks, ensuring clean energy workers higher wages, getting electric vehicle incentives to include low- and middle-income families and a $40B environmental justice investment for disadvantaged communities.  Check out our Third Act Nevada’s August 2024 newsletter for a sampling of what the Biden-Harris campaign has done specifically for Nevada through this legislation.

Climate is only one plank that we, Third Act Nevadans, are working tirelessly to impact.  Reaffirming our commitment to a functional democracy and continuing to work on manifesting it is also central to this election.  Many of us are invested in walking over the shards of the broken glass ceiling.  Kamala Harris would not only be the first female United States president.  She also brings with her the wealth of perspective her identity as black and of Jamaican and South Asian descent offers.  Furthermore, there is every reason to believe that Kamala Harris will continue the Biden administration’s commitment to representation and diversity.

And yet, representation is only the beginning.  At the Third Act Central “Elders for Kamala” fundraiser on August 5^th, Judith LeBlanc, an enrolled member of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma and member of The Native Organizers Alliance, made the following observations addressing an audience of Elders — and here I paraphrase:

Representation is not a destination.  It’s a set of conditions that create opportunity for movement toward solutions.  When we vote we are doing so on behalf of our ancestors and for our descendants.  The stakes are high.  The margins are narrow.  The ground game is where it’s at.  The real politics start on election day.

High stakes.  Narrow margins. Ground game.  This year, let’s put Nevada in the headlines for all the right reasons; not the least of which is putting the Harris-Walz team in the White House with a margin so large that an accusation of election tampering would be, well, just “weird.”

And when we win, we’ll roll up our sleeves, link arms, and march forward with determination and respect. 

Written by Loretta Kuliawat

Last night I watched the opening of the Democratic National Convention.  Among the signs on the convention floor was a sea of blue proclaiming, “We Vote. We Win.”  I went to bed feeling that anything was possible.  Right now, the energy is high.  Yet, we all know that sustaining it takes commitment and a daily renewed effort.

In that vein, I want to share the mantra – taken from UAW President Shawn Fain’s speech – I will be using to get to the finish line: Stand up.  Speak up.  Show up.

Even if you don’t have the time to devote to campaigning, PLEASE make sure you vote and tell everyone you know – and some you might not – to be sure to exercise that power vested in you as a member of our democracy!

In case you missed it, previous issues of The Forum:

Third Act NV, The Forum, Inaugural Issue, May 2024

The Third Act Nevada Power Up Communities initiative continues to meet to strategize how to keep putting NV Energy on notice, how to influence the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) decision making process, and how to put public pressure on our state legislators to do the right thing for Nevadans and our planet.

In the KOLO 8 news coverage leading up to the June 13 PUCN Consumer Session in Reno, George Cavros of Western Resource Advocates pushed back on NV Energy’s claims that their most recent rate restructuring proposal will not increase bills for low-income or average customers, but will instead stabilize them.  The notion that the increase in the fixed base rate is offset by lower kilowatt usage rates is disingenuous.  As Cavros points out, gas prices are lower now because of where the market is.  That doesn’t take into account the long term fluctuating price of methane  gas — something over which NV Energy has no control.

If you’re new to this issue we’ve detailed in other posts exactly what NV Energy is proposing and the consequences of that proposal.  AND In case you weren’t able to make it to the Consumer Session, click on these links and take a listen to what Third Act Nevada’s co-facilitators, Cathy Fulkerson and Kit Miller had to say.

Unfortunately, the rate restructuring is not the only thing on NV Energy’s mind.  They also have an Integrated Resource Plan proposal before the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada that includes the addition of over 400 MW of new gas capacity on top of the recent (just 3 months ago) approval to add 500 MW of gas to its portfolio by re-powering the North Valmy Generating Station with gas.

More Money. More Dirty Fuel. And once the fixed base rate is well over $40, how likely do you think it is that NV Energy will propose to lower it? Once the investment has been made in methane gas capacity how likely is it NV Energy will be motivated to make a significant shift to cleaner fuel sources?

We encourage everyone who is interested in helping NV Energy to “see the light” to participate in our Power Up Community meetings! The next one is June 25th.  Follow this link to register and keep your eyes on the Events section of our webpage for future meeting times.

Following these directions on how to submit written public comment to the PUCN is an outline of what we hope are the essential points to consider about NV Energy’s proposed rate restructuring that, if approved, would be implemented beginning October 1.

How to Submit Comments

The June Consumer Sessions were only the first step.  There will be a series of three Public Hearings starting on June 26 and concluding on August 12.  There will be no public comment opportunities during the actual hearings.  Written comments, however, will continue to be accepted until that final hearing concludes.

Many people have found the electronic comment system to be difficult to use.  If, however, you prefer to go that route here is the link:  https://puc.nv.gov/.  The easiest way is to submit written comment is to send or hand deliver it to either of the Commission’s offices: 1150 East William Street, Carson City, Nevada 89701 or 9075 West Diablo Drive, Suite 250, Las Vegas, Nevada 89148.  In your letters, be sure to reference Docket #24-02026.

Also, consider turning your comments into a Letter to the Editor and submitting it to the Reno Gazette Journal.

And now to the matter at hand!

What Is Happening with NV Energy?

NV Energy serves nearly 323,000 residential customers throughout Northern Nevada.

NV Energy is proposing to raise its flat rate for service across Northern Nevada while lowering how much customers pay for actual energy use.

In January of this year, NV Energy got approval for an additional $37.1million in annual revenue and increased the monthly service charge in Southern Nevada from $12.50 to $18.50.

In Northern Nevada in 2022, the basic service charge increased from $15.25 to $16.50.  Now, in 2024, NV Energy has a proposal before the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) to more than TRIPLE the basic service charge by increasing it from $16.50 to $45.30 for single family residences.  Customers in multifamily housing would see their basic rate more than DOUBLE increasing from $8 to $18.80.  If approved, these new rates would go into effect beginning Oct 1.

In addition to the basic service charge spike, NV Energy is seeking an additional $95 million in annual revenue.

Why does NV Energy say they need to do this?

NV Energy claims the rate restructuring proposal, which is confined to the north for now, is designed to stabilize energy bills. The company says the rate increase is offset by declining fuel and power costs from record highs and is also proposing a reduction in the charges per kilowatt hour used. They claim this reduction in charges per kilowatt hour combined with the increase in base rates will result in overall reductions in power bills.

As justification for the rate restructuring, the company says it has a higher cost burden due to:

• inflation and rising interest rates,
• growing electricity demand due to a growing population,
• increased wildfire insurance premiums,
• the need to replace outdated infrastructure,
• technology upgrades for cybersecurity, and
• addressing a shortfall caused by net metering — credits residential solar producers get for adding electricity to the grid.

NV Energy also wants to increase its rate of return to investors from 9.5% to 10.4%, as well as requesting an increase in its rate of return from 7.14 percent to 7.95 percent for its cost of capital (the return premium required on investments to justify the risk taken by an investor).

What does this mean for you, the ratepayer?

The move is a departure from long standing utility regulatory policy that assesses energy costs based on consumption.

The basic service charge electric users pay typically covers costs incurred to serve individual customers such as service lines, meters and accounting and billing services, with the bulk of customers’ bills based on actual energy usage. If state regulators approve NV Energy’s request, Northern Nevada customers will pay more to cover fixed costs related to distribution, such as electric line extensions, poles and transformers — infrastructure that doesn’t directly serve customers. The money to fund those kinds of infrastructure projects currently comes from the volumetric charge (the actual electricity you use).  NV Energy is trying to lower its risks to their revenue stream from factors such as weather or economic downturns at your expense.

The proposed rate design disproportionately affects low-income residents.

1.  Tripling the base rate for a single-family residence while simultaneously nearly halving the cost electric customers pay per kilowatt hour places a burden on lower and fixed income families. These families typically use less electricity and have had some control over their budgets by doing so.  With a bill that starts at $45.30 before any light or appliance is turned on, the result is a higher proportion of these families’ incomes going to energy costs.
2. Customers who typically use more energy are the ones who will see their bills decline because cost cutting is happening on the usage end.
3. If this proposal goes through, NV will have the highest fixed charge in the nation for residential customers significantly surpassing Mississippi whose fixed charge is currently $37.41. Compare those numbers to the average service charge among 170 investor-owned utilities nationwide of $11.66.

There are costs to the planet. In a world where climate change is rapidly heating our planet and changing weather patterns, this kind of approach undermines our region’s efforts to use less and use cleaner energy sources.

1. The rate hike reduces the rewards for using less electricity. People won’t save as much money by turning off lights or adjusting their air conditioning, discouraging them from cutting back on energy use.
2. This proposal undermines the use of residential solar power.

• Net energy metering (NEM) customers who generate their own solar energy are penalized because they will see less benefit to using solar because more of their charges are unrelated to energy use. Furthermore, residents who made significant investments in rooftop solar with the expectation that over the long run they would receive a return on that investment are seeing that evaporate.  NV Energy is essentially creating conditions where they can corner the energy market.
• By imposing unnecessary charges on solar customers, the decision jeopardizes the growth and viability of the solar industry in Nevada, a sector vital for the state’s economic and environmental health.
• This move not only impacts Nevada’s solar households but also poses a broader threat to the state’s requirement that 50% of the electricity utilities sold must come from renewable sources by 2030.

NV Energy’s focus on usage rate decreases as a long-term component in their claim that energy bills will decrease is misleading.

1. Usage prices will come down because fuel costs are going down – at least right now they are.  Remember, natural gas prices are volatile and could increase at any time.
2. With a fixed rate this high, it is unlikely that bills will ever go below that threshold again. This will become the baseline for the next NV Energy proposal.

What could be done instead of this rate restructuring?

1. Instead of raising the basic service charge, , NV Energy could implement time-of-use rates that better reflect actual costs to the grid, such as lower rates during the cheapest and cleanest generating hours and higher rates during peak usage times whether that’s during the day or time of year. Time-of-use rates can be structured to allow customers to opt-in to different rate structures that preserve incentives to conserve and move their most intensive energy consuming activities to the cheapest and cleanest generating hours.
2. Change NV Energy’s payment model to turn it into a performance-based model that shifts their reward incentives away from the build out of infrastructure to metrics like cost containment, reliability, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction.
3. If fixed charge increases really are needed, they should be phased in over time and in significantly smaller increments. Rate discounts could be used to mitigate impacts on lower income and fixed income customers.

Information resources

The information in this guide has borrowed heavily from the following articles:

NV Energy proposes monthly service charge jump of $28 in Northern Nevada

NV Energy Proposal Bad News for Families that Want to Control Power Bills

How High Fixed Charges Will Burden Northern Nevadans

Indy Explains: Why NV Energy wants to triple Northern Nevada’s base rates

Northern Nevadans fear NV Energy plan would mean some of highest service charges in U.S.

OPINION: New performance-based payment structure needed for NV Energy

Now the CEOs of those beneficiary fossil fuel companies are being courted by Trump to support his campaign  to the tune of $1 billion.  In return, Trump promises that in a second term he would, among other things.:

• end the Biden administration’s freeze on permits for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports
• start auctioning off more leases for oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, and
• reverse the restrictions on drilling in the Alaskan Arctic.

Our planet and politics are being suffocated by the same dollars.  But, we can do something about it.  Remember that we, as the electorate and the Third Act generation, also control a sizeable share of the country’s assets.

In February of 2024, CBS News reported that, “people over 55 controlled about $74.5 trillion in wealth at the start of 2019. By July 2023, that percentage jumped 30% — to $97.3 trillion, or more than 10 times the wealth held by people under 40.”  According to the Census Bureau, the population of people over 65 reached 55.8 million or 16.8% of the population of the United States in 2020.

Individually, no matter how much money you have in your bank account, who gets to use it matters.  Collectively, if even a fraction of almost 60 million people flexes our financial muscle we cannot be ignored.

What YOU can you do now

Get involved with Third Act Central’s Banking on Our Future campaign. Visit the website to find resources on writing letters to your bank branch offices, account managers, and CEO suites to tell them to stop funding fossil fuels.  Explore how to move your money to greener banks, credit unions and credit cards, and learn how to design a responsible financial plan.

Coming Soon:  The Summer of Heat

Third Act Central is joining a coalition of groups to participate in a 12-week long Summer of Heat in New York City.  Over the course of those weeks, activists will participate in a nonviolent direct-action campaign of disruption targeting powerful financial institutions that fund fossil fuel companies – notably Citi Bank at its New York City headquarters.

July 8^th through the 13^th will be Elders Week where Third Act Working Group members from all over the country will gather in New York to make our stand.  Alongside the New York actions, Third Act Nevada is beginning to plan parallel activities to roll out locally.  This is a great time to show solidarity and get involved no matter where you are in the state.  To participate in planning or to get more information contact us at thirdactnevada@gmail.com.  Please indicate “Summer of Heat” in the subject line.

And in June and November, remember to vote! 

Get all your friends and neighbors to vote. There are more of us in the population than there are of the fossil fuel industry executives in the C-suites.

But our sadness turns to anger, knowing it could disappear forever if NV Energy and other Berkshire Hathaway-owned utilities continue to put their profits ahead of a clean energy transition.

When our great-grandparents escaped the Irish famine and landed in Wadsworth, the Truckee Meadows was surrounded by 600-year-old trees, with 40-pound trout from Pyramid Lake spawning up the Truckee River. Those trees and fish are not only gone, they are forgotten, decimated by dams, excessive pollution and logging for the Comstock mines.

The deer- and bear-laden forests that remain around Reno, and trout-filled Truckee River, also could be gone and forgotten by future generations, given the rapid pace of climate change and the lackluster response of NV Energy and others who have gone from climate deniers to climate pretenders.

Born in 1957 (Cathy) and 1960 (B), we are closer to the exit than the entrance. We know that the actions taken by those of us who are alive today will impact hundreds of generations to come. That’s why we are part of a growing movement in Nevada to protest NV Energy and to make sure our governor, Legislature and Public Utilities Commission force them to do the right thing.

Cathy is new to activism, stepping up in her retirement to work with other, older Nevadans who are also new to activism in order to harness the power of our generation. B has engaged in traditional policy work — advocating for laws and regulations that protect the common good — for 40 years in Nevada, and sees this getting more difficult as the system is further rigged.

Our hometown of Reno is the fastest-warming city in America, with average summer temperatures that are 10.9° hotter than in 1970. Last year, we saw the deadliest wildfires in over a century, Florida seawater hitting 101-degree hot-tub levels, and the hottest summer ever recorded.

We are angry and disappointed that NV Energy continues to: 1) kill rooftop solarand thwart community solar; 2) bypass the Integrated Resource Planning process to install expensive, short-lived fossil fuel energy plants via amendments; and 3) use ratepayer funds to pay for employee bonuses, corporate lobbyists and lavish entertainment, all while planning a threefold increase in our monthly base rate.

Nevada rooftops aren’t blazoned with solar panels because NV Energy kills every clean energy proposal unless it can own and profit from it. Corporations like NV Energy and Berkshire Hathaway are responsible for climate change, high energy burdens and political corruption. They work with trade associations, dark money networks and lobbyists who spend untold amounts of money in Nevada and nationally to buy politicians and block advances like community and rooftop solar.

We can end our dependence on burning things for energy and stabilize our climate in the process — but only if NV Energy, its parent company Berkshire Hathaway and their ilk stop putting their profits before the future of our planet.
Like millions around the globe, we feel that the greatest task of generations alive today is to give our grandchildren and future generations a shot at a livable planet by hastening a green energy transition and ending the burning of fossil fuels.

Please join us, beginning with speaking out at next month’s consumer sessions before the Public Utilities Commission.

This piece appeared in the Reno Gazette Journal on 5/10/2024.  To see the printed version follow this link:  OPINION: NV Energy aggravates climate change

Click Here to Read May 2024 Newsletter

As more of you become engaged at different locations in our state, we hope the Forum will be a centralized place where Working Group members can stay connected.

We encourage everyone to contribute whether that be in the form of updating us on events in your area, offering opinions on actions, current events, or responding to something that’s been written in a previous issue.  We see the Forum as a work in progress and can’t wait to see where we all go together!

To begin, the Forum will be published quarterly.  If you’d like to contribute or have an idea, please send it to thirdactnevada@gmail.com before August 1^st so that it can be included in the next issue.  Please write “Newsletter” in the subject line.

We hope you’ll be inspired.

Third Act Nevada Coordinating Committee

NV Residents Resist NV Energy Rate Hike and Demand More Renewables

Here’s how B Fulkerson, National Lead Organizer, described the day:

“All three local TV networks and local online news service stayed for a good 45 minutes while rate payers and solar advocates told stories about their run-ins with NV Energy.

We delivered the letter to the fortress-like building, cameras in tow, and waited to speak to someone in charge. Finally the PR person came down and issued us and the press their statement, refusing to take questions with reporters badgering them to talk about our issues. We said we’d be back, were going to the shareholders and PUC meetings. One of the most successful and fun actions I’ve been part of in a long time.”