Governor Brian Sandoval joined 16 other governors Tuesday in voicing their commitment to renewable energy, at a time when Nevada's renewable energy industry is in flux.
Members of the Governors' Accord for a New Energy future say it is an avenue for governors from both parties to share ideas and learn from each others' energy policies.
"It truly is an opportunity for all of us to share best practices, to work together to broaden the renewable energy opportunities throughout the nation," Governor Sandoval said in a conference call Tuesday.
The bipartisan group of governors signed onto the accord as a commitment to promote clean energy, clean transportation, and a more modern electrical grid within their states.
This has been a hot topic in Nevada recently, since changes to net metering for solar customers have pushed many rooftop solar companies out of the state.
Governor Sandoval briefly addressed that issue on the conference call Tuesday.
"Frankly, I'm proud of our record on net metering. I'm the one who signed three bills that stood up the solar industry in Nevada." Governor Sandoval said. "Yes, there was a decision recently by our Public Utilities Commission. It wasn't everything I wanted, but I'm confident that it will be a subject that will be discussed throughout the rest of this year and into our legislative session next year."
Nevada's Public Utilities Commission decided in December to raise usage fees, and cut the credits that solar users get in exchange for the excess energy their panels generate. The governor has come out in favor of grandfathering in existing solar customers, so they wouldn't be affected by the changes. However, the PUC decided against that last week.
The first meeting for the group of governors in the accord has not been set yet.
