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Energy Independence

Imagine Nevada becoming a world class innovator in renewable energy and high energy efficiency technologies. We can reinvent Southern Nevada's economy into the Silicon Valley of energy independence. This will create good jobs and strengthen our national security.

Developing high efficiency and renewable energy technologies in Nevada is the key to creating high quality jobs in Nevada, reducing the river of money to corrupt Middle East oil kingdoms funding radical Islamic terrorists, preserving our planet for our children, and lowering power and gasoline prices. We need a national commitment to invest in Nevada's solar, wind and geothermal energy resources to make that dream a reality. I will provide the leadership to make the dream a reality.

As a Certified Public Accountant, I am trained to think through long term problems and look at how investing today brings returns tomorrow. I am also trained to think through how tax policy effects investments and consumer behavior. Most of the energy related tax credits are available only to businesses and are targeted to specific business interests with powerful lobbying machines, like:

The Credit for Producing Oil and Gas from Marginal Wells (provides a tax credit of $3 per barrel or 50 cents per 1000 cubic feet of qualified natural gas)
The Gasification Project Credit (tax credit equal to 20 percent of investment in coal gasification plants capped at $130 million)
The Advanced Nuclear Power Facilities Production Credit (provides tax credit of 1.8 cents per kilowatt hour to producers of nuclear energy from "advanced" facilities)

There are a variety of similar examples for other special interests. Where do the lobbyists dream all of this up? We need to take a stand against this grab bag of special interest giveaways.

In contrast to some of the generous tax credits for specific companies and industries with political clout, the energy related tax credits available to the average consumer are extremely limited.

The Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit (mainly hybrid cars) ends up at about $2,000-$3,000, depending on the model.
The Residential Energy Credit (mainly for installing energy efficient windows and doors for your home) caps out at $500 for your lifetime (not per year).

Neither of these are compelling incentives to most consumers to radically rethink their energy consumption. We need a policy initiative to dramatically expand the tax credits to average consumers for adopting more energy efficient cars and homes. Since energy policy is so important to our economy, environment and national security, let us not corrupt energy production policy with narrow, company-specific tax breaks written by lobbyists.

One of the problems is that renewable energy companies have uncertain profits streams, thus volatile stock prices and limited capital investment, because the price of oil is so uncertain. As a result, if we as a society wish to promote renewable energy and energy efficient technologies because they benefit our energy, economic, environmental and national security, the federal government will need a consistent set of policies to stimulate a stable demand for these technologies. This can include requirements for governments to purchase alternative fuel and high energy efficiency buses and vehicles, requirements that all new building and leases will be "green buildings" with the latest high efficiency technologies, better transportation planning, and a sustained, national investment in research and development at the size and scope of the space program of the 1960s.

If a country like Brazil can transform itself over 20 years from an energy importer to an energy exporter and world leader in sugar-based ethanal and flex fuel stations for cars and trucks, why can't the United States of America also become a world leader in solar, wind, geothermal, electric cars, flex fuel hybrid cars running on renewable fuels, and most of all high efficiency heating/cooling systems and appliances?

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is the federal government's primary research and development operation for renewable energy. This was established as the Solar Energy Research Institute in 1977, in of all places, Golden, CO. Why would you not locate a solar research lab in Las Vegas, the land of sunshine and opportunity? Nevada needs leaders who will fight for the respect Nevada deserves.

The funding level of the NREL is minimal based on the gravity of the threats fossil fuels pose to the economy, environment and national security. The chart below (in millions of dollars) shows federal funding to the NREL.

NREL Funding