Young Conservatives Impact Nevada Solar Policy
Education on the local level is changing minds and hearts.
Young Conservatives for Energy Reform, (YC4ER) worked hard educating Nevada legislators on the issue of net metering, resulting in a reinstatement of that law in Nevada.
After several months of educating legislators, the Nevada net metering bill (AB405) passed with bi-partisan support. YC4ER was a major influencer through the combined efforts of their coalition in Carson City, Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada. They co-hosted a luncheon in early October in Las Vegas, were honored to have Assemblyman Jim Marchant, Carl Bunce, the GOP Clark County Chairman, Eric Roberts, the Executive Director of the Republican Assembly Caucus, and members of Nevada Young Republicans. General Richard Zilmer, a friend of YC4ER was a guest speaker who gave a great speech about national security and how Nevada is leading the way with clean energy.
Net Metering
Helping solar owners take advantage of solar all day — and night — long.
Net metering: requires utilities to pay for excess energy generated by distributed (residential and business) solar installations.
Benefits: Net metering lets solar owners use the energy they create at any time, regardless of the weather.
Pricing: In many of the 43 states that have mandatory net metering, utilities are required to buy excess electricity from distributed solar at the retail price: the price the utility charges customers. Buying product at that price — not at the wholesale price they pay utility scale solar — does not support the cost of operations. Some states have allowed utilities to purchase solar somewhere between the wholesale and retail price. Nevada (link is external)chose 95% of retail costs, declining over time.
Fairness: Some customers worry that they will pay for the shortfall between the cost of operations and the loss of overhead from net metered solar. Until distributed solar reaches percentages above the single digits, such concerns are unlikely to have a major impact.
The effort in Nevada is typical of the grass-roots efforts of YC4ER.
By understanding the concerns of conservatives, Ms. Comb’s organization has helped bring energy reform into the bipartisan world where it belongs. Through creating coalitions with organizations that have similar concerns, holding local and national meetings, the group has engaged and persuaded legislators on many fronts. Michele Combs, Chairman & Founder of YC4ER, recently sent a letter to fellow members where she acknowledged the broad support the young organization has developed, which was evidenced by the attendance at their annual Summit in Washington, DC.
Finally, I would like to personally thank the hundreds of attendees that came from over forty states, including Alaska, to attend the 3rd Annual Conservative Clean Energy Summit that was sponsored by Young Conservatives for Energy Reform and the Christian Coalition. A special thank you to our co-sponsors and speakers that made the event possible — American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Tom Kiernan, CEO, Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA), Abigail Ross, CEO, and Defend our Future, Christian Berle. We would also like to thank other speakers that included members of Congress, business leaders, and clean energy experts.
YC4ER Annual Summit
This year’s Summit featured expert panels that enhanced the educational experience of our attendees. It shows the broad range of issues and speakers that YC4ER attracts, as well as how YC4ER speaks directly to the concerns of conservatives.
What Are We Doing Here As Conservatives?
- Michele Combs, Founder and Chairman, YC4ER,
- Roberta Combs, President and CEO, Christian Coalition,
- Bill Thomson, Chairman, Veterans for Energy Reform,
- Angel Garcia, National Outreach Director, YC4ER, Ash Mason, Southeast Director, CC,
- Keith den Hollander, Midwest Director, Christian Coalition,
- Tyler Duvelius, Ohio State Director, Christian Coalition
The Changing Face of Transportation
- Bud DeFlavis, Fuel Cell Association,
- Corey Eshow, Transportation Policy Manager, LYFT,
- Genevieve Cullen, President, Electric Drive Transportation Association
Millennials and Clean Energy
- Jason Emert, Chairman, Young Republican National Federation,
- Chandler Thornton, Chairman, National College Republican Federation,
- E. J. Wilder, North Carolina State Chairman, YC4ER
The Effective Way For Conservatives Leaders To Educate Legislators on the State and National Level on Clean Energy
- Brandon Audap, Director of Federal Affairs, Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA),
- Maggie Lemmerman, Director of Federal Legislative and Political Affairs, American Wind Energy Association (AWEA),
- Dahvi Wilson, Director of Public Affairs, APEX Clean Energy,
- Ash Mason, Southeast Director, Christian Coalition
Red, White and Blue: Why Supporting Clean Energy is as Patriotic as Apple Pie
- Vice-Admiral Lee Gunn, (USN),
- John Powers, Iraq War Veteran, President and Co-Founder, Clean Capital,
- Morry Cater, Cater Communications
Living Off the Grid in Our Highly Technical World
- Dean and Kathy Berden, Business Owner and RNC Committeewoman for the Michigan GOP
It is All About the Economics in America’s Businesses
- Lisa Jacobsen, President, Business Council for Sustainable Energy,
- Ben Evans, Vice-President and Government Affairs and Communication, Alliance to Save Energy,
- Leroy Coleman, Hydro Power Association,
- Carrie Annand, Executive Director, Bio Mass Power Association,
- Susan Mathiascheck, Nuclear Energy Institute
Ms. Combs commitment to policies that are universal and that have very important consequences for the future of our country is a model for a world unified in solving the major issues of our time.
