You can help control the price of power

Chris Charles Scott on how voters can bring common business sense to Nevada’s energy market.

Although I am now a Nevadan, I was raised by my grandmother in East Texas. We had two non-negotiable rules in our household:

• Do Not Play in Your School Clothes
• Do Not Run Up Grandma’s “Light Bill”

Leaving an outside door open while the air conditioning was running was a capital offense in our home. Not being conscious of energy conservation could result in grandmother spanking my behind. But this is not about the spankings I could have taken from my grandmother for causing her energy bill to soar — this is about the spankings that Nevadans are currently taking from NV Energy in the form of soaring energy costs.

NV Energy is a monopoly that controls how, when, and where your energy is generated. It controls the poles and the wires that get energy to your homes and businesses. It controls how you purchase that energy — and how much you have to pay to purchase it. You have no choice.

And because you have no choice, NV Energy could overcharge Nevadans over $300 million in three years for electricity. They did. To break that down, you overpaid an average of $384 a year for three years on your electricity bill.

Yes, you.

And there was nothing you could do about it.

But now there is. On the ballot this year is a question that asks:

“Shall Article 1 of the Nevada Constitution be amended to require the Legislature to provide by law for the establishment of an open, competitive retail electric energy market that prohibits the granting of monopolies and exclusive franchises for the generation of electricity?”

The question is simply asking: “Are you in favor of Nevada creating a new system that will allow other energy retail companies to come in and competitively offer you options regarding how and where you buy your energy — instead of allowing NV Energy to be your only choice?”

As business owners and entrepreneurs, your first instinct should be, “YES!”

To run a business successfully, an owner must find the best price for goods and services. Currently, you have options in every aspect of your business — from which vendors to use, to the courier that ships your goods and products. But you have no choice on the most needed aspect of your business: your energy plan.

Energy costs could drive your profits down and drive you out of business. And when one company, NV Energy, has the unchecked power to overcharge you for that necessity, that could mean failure for your venture.

If you vote Yes on Question 3, and it passes, you will then have the choice to decide where to purchase your electricity and can choose plans from other reputable companies that will be priced competitively to win your business. This competition will bring your energy cost down. That is Business 101.

So, let’s roll up our sleeves and fight the monopoly that threatens your livelihood and takes away your freedom to choose. Vote “YES” on Question 3. And feel free to do this in your school clothes.

Chris Charles Scott is a small business owner and community advocate who is currently working on Yes on Question 3. His award-winning documentary production company Strategery, Films is based in Las Vegas, NV.