NV Energy Seeks to Escape Liability for Utility Fires

This move comes as wildfire season is expected to be worse in Northern Nevada due to a warm winter and a lack of snowpack

NEVADA - Yesterday, NV Energy set the stage for an upcoming Nevada Legislative Session fight over utility liability for damages related to wildfires caused by the utility’s equipment. During an interim Growth & Infrastructure Committee hearing, the utility company attempted to justify skirting responsibility for damages related to wildfires. This comes as Nevada is poised for a long, potentially difficult fire season, driven by warm temperatures and a lack of precipitation.   

Shelbie Swartz, Executive Director of Institute for a Progressive Nevada, issued the following statement: 

“If NV Energy’s equipment, negligence, or lack of upkeep sparks a wildfire, Nevada families deserve full and fair compensation. At a time when the company’s public trust is at a historic low, after overcharging customers by millions and seeking rate structures that would raise everyday bills, it is now seeking to evade accountability altogether. As Nevada faces the real threat of a devastating wildfire season, shifting responsibility away from a profitable utility is unacceptable. Residents should not be forced to bear the cost of destruction caused by a company that prioritizes shareholder returns over the safety and well-being of the communities it serves.”    

Christi Cabrera-Georgeson, Deputy Director of the Nevada Conservation League, issued the following statement: 

“NV Energy’s push for wildfire immunity is a dangerous step in the wrong direction for Nevada. The company has a well-documented track record of prioritizing shareholder profits over affordability, fairness, and the well-being of Nevada families. Granting blanket immunity would allow the monopoly utility to sidestep responsibility for wildfire risks, shifting the financial burden onto everyday Nevadans while rewarding inadequate planning and infrastructure management. Wildfire legislation should be designed to protect people, communities, and our environment, not to shield utilities from accountability.” 

Barbara Hartzell, Executive Director of Indigenous Voices of Nevada, issued the following statement: 

“NV Energy is asking to limit its accountability when its equipment causes a wildfire and to avoid responsibility for what is left behind. When wildfires hit, families are not thinking about policy or liability. They are grabbing their kids, their pets, whatever they can carry, and leaving behind everything else, not knowing if they will ever see it again. As Nevada faces increasingly severe wildfire seasons, this is ultimately a question of accountability and whether the people most impacted by these disasters are fully protected.”

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About Institute for a Progressive Nevada: Institute for a Progressive Nevada, through strategic communication efforts, educates, empowers, and engages Nevada voters to build a state where everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed.