REVIEW-JOURNAL ENDORSEMENT: Question 6
No, you didn’t miss something. Your ballot goes straight from Question 4 to Question 6, because it’s a repeat of a constitutional change voters approved two years ago. Question 6 would mandate that Nevada generate 50 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. The Legislature passed a similar requirement last year, but this would put it in the constitution.
Renewable energy supporters like to talk about how green energy is the future. That may be true, but it isn’t true yet. Solar energy production peaks midday, but demand for energy peaks in the afternoon.
Several times this summer, NV Energy begged Clark County residents to conserve energy to avoid rolling blackouts. Absent a breakthrough in battery technology, those calls will become more frequent if Nevada is required to use more and more renewable energy. See: California.
This is the paradox of Question 6. If renewable energy becomes both cheaper than natural gas and as reliable, you won’t need a government mandate to force people to use it. If it doesn’t, creating a constitutional requirement that 50 percent of electricity come from renewable sources would be wasteful, inefficient and costly and do little to stop global warming. Vote no on Question 6.