NV groups share concerns about utilities' impact on health and the environment / Public News Service

Nevada's Public Utilities Commission listened to local leaders' concerns at consumer meetings this week, where people protested rising electric bills from NV Energy and Southwest Gas and questioned what they said were the companies' increasing reliance on fossil fuels.

Kristee Watson, executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, claimed NV Energy wants to push spending on methane gas – a fuel source that she said has “dangerous” impacts on the environment but would also impact Nevadans' wallets.

“When we rely on a dirty, volatile energy source like methane gas,” she said, “Nevada residents are always at risk of spikes and being left riding the wave of the cost of that commodity.”

Watson pointed to what she called the “unpredictability” of fossil fuels as energy sources. Your organization and others are calling on the PUCN to prioritize clean, affordable and reliable energy. As an example, they cite solar energy, from which not only Nevada but also neighboring states could benefit.

In a statement, NV Energy said: “In Southern Nevada, bills will be lower through the end of 2024 than in 2023… we have heard from our customers and are always working to keep bills affordable.”

Dr. Joanne Leovy, steering chair of Nevada Clinicians for Climate Action, said her group believes the PUCN should make climate goals a top priority and begin considering public health impacts in its decision-making. She said this is something that is not currently mandated, calling it “a disgrace” and pointing out that health care costs associated with fossil fuels are high.

“Really,” she said, “any delay in fully transitioning to renewable energy is a missed opportunity, both to improve health and reduce costs.”

Leovy said the impacts also include air pollution, which causes or worsens a variety of health conditions that directly impact communities. The groups have posted information about the impact of energy supply decisions online at Utilitywatchnv.org.

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Despite recent improvements in the Black unemployment rate, a new report shows that Black Americans continue to face significant inequalities in the labor market, and Virginians are no exception.

The report estimates that black men need about 16,000 more jobs in Virginia alone to catch up with white men in the labor force, and shows that the racial employment gap remains a costly burden on black workers.

Algernon Austin, director of racial and economic justice at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said that while unemployment among Black people fell to 5.5% in 2022, the lowest level in more than 50 years, the positive statistics reveal deeper problems disguise.

“Black America still needs about 1.4 million more people to reach the same employment rate as white America,” Austin emphasized. “We continue to have a significant need for jobs.”

The research comes from the Center for Economic and Policy Research and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Austin noted that data shows significant wage disparities for working Black Americans, and the employment gap costs them about $60 billion per year.

As policymakers discuss solutions such as subsidized employment programs, Austin emphasized that targeted measures such as raising the minimum wage are critical to addressing systemic inequalities.

“This is America’s historic problem,” Austin emphasized. “I mean, this problem starts with the enslavement of the black population and then with Jim Crow — and then with continued discrimination in the job market.”

In the latest numbers for August, the U.S. labor market posted modest job growth, but unemployment among blacks remained just above 6%, well above the 3.8% rate for white workers.

The report emphasized that despite lower unemployment rates among Blacks, structural barriers from hiring discrimination to limited access to high-paying jobs continue to hinder economic progress for Black Americans.

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U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada (D-Las Vegas) has introduced legislation aimed at eliminating the minimum wage for tipped workers nationwide and also eliminating federal taxes on tips – a proposal both presidential candidates have supported.

It is not the first such proposal in Congress.

Horsford noted that a disproportionate number of tipped workers nationwide are women and people of color, who he said earn “poverty wages.”

He told his House colleagues that the Tipped Income Protection and Support Act is about economic justice and recognizing that service workers are “the backbone” of the U.S. economy.

“So, to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle: We can no longer delay this action,” Horsford said. “We must ensure that every worker, regardless of their job, receives a fair wage and keeps more of what they earn.”

Critics of the idea point out that many tipped workers do not earn enough to pay income taxes, so eliminating the tip tax would have no impact on them.

The minimum wage for tipped workers in the United States is just over $2 per hour. Nevada has already eliminated the minimum wage for tipped workers, who now make at least $12 an hour.

Relying on customers to pay the bulk of tips for workers' wages exposes those workers to “tremendous income instability,” according to the Economic Policy Institute.

Across the country, the institute also found that the poverty rate for tipped workers is more than twice as high as for non-tipped workers. Horsford called that unacceptable.

“No one should have to rely on the whims of a good tip — it’s not a guarantee,” Horsford said, “to make ends meet.”

Horsford said his plan, unlike other Republican-led initiatives that would simply exempt tips from federal taxes, would go a step further and eliminate the federal minimum wage — which he called “the heart of the problem.”

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A new federal proposal to protect workers from extreme heat is being hailed by labor advocates as a potential lifesaver, even as Florida faces backlash over its backsliding on heat safety.

The proposed OSHA regulation is open for public comment until December 30. It could bring long-awaited protection to millions of workers exposed to dangerous temperatures.

Micki Siegel de Hernández, national deputy director for occupational safety and health at the Communications Workers of America, said Florida recorded more than 200 heat-related worker deaths between 2010 and 2020 and she was puzzled by a controversial law Gov. Ron DeSantis passed in April signed to prevent local municipalities from introducing protections for workers.

“This bill also prohibits any type of training or release of information. This is crazy,” claimed Siegel de Hernández. “It’s disgusting and crazy and also blames the workers if they suffer from any heat-related illness.”

DeSantis had dodged criticism of the bill by saying it did not come from him. Under OSHA's proposed rule, employers would be required to implement heat illness prevention plans, including access to water, rest breaks and shaded areas.

Siegel de Hernández noted that many workers in Florida, particularly in outdoor industries such as construction and agriculture, are at risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

“All of these things are preventable and without a standard, workers will continue to die,” claimed Siegel de Hernández. “We have to get something done as quickly as possible.”

The OSHA rule would be the first federal legal protection for indoor and outdoor workers exposed to extreme heat. If approved, it could come into force as early as next year.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has recommended heat safety standards since the 1970s. However, this is the first time the U.S. government has proposed comprehensive heat safety regulations that apply to most industries.

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