2019 Biennial Report Public Utilities Commission of Nevada BIENNIAL REPORT 2019 PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF NEVADA | PAGE 1 Solar PV, Gerlach, NV. Photo: BlackRockSolar Public Utilities Commission of Nevada Steve Sisolak, Governor Ann Wilkinson, Chairman Ann Pongracz, Commissioner C.J. Manthe, Commissioner Stephanie Mullen, Executive Director 1150 E. William Street, Carson City, NV 89701 9075 W. Diablo Drive, Suite 250, Las Vegas, NV 89148 (775) 684-6101 | (702) 486-7210 www.puc.nv.gov A digital copy of this report is available at http://puc.nv.gov/About/Reports/. PAGE 2 Nellis Air Force Base Solar Generating Station. Photo: insideclimatenews.org 2019 Biennial Report PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF NEVADA | PAGE 3 2019 Biennial Report TABLE OF CONTENTS LETTER TO GOVERNOR ............................................................................................................................................3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................................4 QUICK INFO ..................................................................................................................................................................5 WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO ......................................................................................................................5 KEY PERFORMANCE & ACCOMPLISHMENT STATISTICS ......................................................................6 FY17 - FY18 PUCN PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS ...............................................................................7 REPORT INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................................8 ELECTRIC .....................................................................................................................................................................9 AVERAGE MONTHLY RESIDENTIAL ELECTRIC BILL ................................................................................. 12 RENEWABLE PROJECTS ...............................................................................................................................14 ELECTRIC SERVICE PROVIDERS .................................................................................................................15 RENEWABLE ENERGY & ENERGY EFFICIENCY .................................................................................................17 NATURAL GAS ...........................................................................................................................................................23 AVERAGE MONTHLY RESIDENTIAL GAS BILL ........................................................................................... 25 NATURAL GAS SERVICE PROVIDERS .........................................................................................................27 NATURAL GAS ALTERNATIVE SELLERS .....................................................................................................27 GAS PIPELINE SAFETY ............................................................................................................................................28 UNDERGROUND DAMAGE PREVENTION (ONE-CALL PROGRAM) ................................................................. 31 WATER & WASTEWATER .........................................................................................................................................34 WATER SERVICE PROVIDERS ......................................................................................................................36 RAIL SAFETY .............................................................................................................................................................37 TELECOMMUNICATIONS .........................................................................................................................................40 TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE PROVIDERS .................................................................................... 42 CONSUMER COMPLAINT RESOLUTION ...............................................................................................................43 FUNDING & BUDGET ................................................................................................................................................45 DOCKETS & WORKLOAD ..........................................................................................................................................46 APPENDICES APPENDIX A: COMMISSIONERS ...................................................................................................................47 APPENDIX B: ORGANIZATIONAL CHART ....................................................................................................48 APPENDIX C: DIVISIONS ................................................................................................................................49 APPENDIX D: COMMISSION PROCEEDINGS ...............................................................................................51 PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF NEVADA | PAGE 4 2019 Biennial Report PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF NEVADA WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO DIVISIONS & EST. 3 COMMISSIONERS Executive Director | General Counsel |Utilities Hearing Officer 1907 Policy15 Analysis |Administration | Business Process Services Public as Railroad Commission Information | Consumer Outreach | Regulatory Operations Staff Legal Counsel |Resource & Market Analysis Financial Analysis | Engineering | Rail Safety Consumer Complaint Resolution $23.1 MILLION Was the PUCN’s biennial budget for the period of July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2018, funded by annual regulatory assessments levied against public 103 utilities in Nevada and through EMPLOYEES federal grants. 72 Employees in Carson City 31 Employees in Las Vegas The number of investor- OFFICE owned utilities regulated by the PUCN, including LOCATIONS electric, natural gas, 2 telecommunications,400 water, and wastewater services; gas and electric “master meter” service at mobile home parks; and some propane systems. Carson City Las Vegas puc.nv.gov PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF NEVADA | PAGE 5 2019 Biennial Report KEY PERFORMANCE & ACCOMPLISHMENT STATISTICS Total Agenda Meetings of the Agenda Meetings Held 49 Full Commission Utility Environmental Protection Act (UEPA) Permits Issued 21 Certificates, Licenses Certificates of Public Convenience & Commercial Mobile Radio Service & Permits Certificates 56 Complaints Consumer Complaints & Questions Received 10,476 Consumer Sessions Consumer Sessions & Community Meetings Held 26 Dockets Opened - ALL 877 Rulemakings Opened to Address Legislative Directives from the 2017 Dockets Opened Legislative Session 8 Electric & Water Resource Planning 13 Dockets Closed - ALL 873 Fines & Penalties Compliances Ordered 169 Collected and Total Civil Penalties Assessed - One Call Violations $224,750 Transferred to State’s Total Civil Penalties Assessed - Gas Violations $358,500 General Fund Fines & Penalties Collected $545,413 Court Cases 12 General Counsel Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Cases 21 Representation Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Cases 4 Gas Incidents Investigated 7 Investigations Railroad & Rail Transit Incidents Investigated 62 Number of Gas Pipeline Inspection Field Days Per Inspector (6 Inspectors) 215 Inspections Rail Units Inspected (Motive Power & Equipment, Track, Hazmat & Operating Practices) (4 Inspectors) 31,395 Community Events Attended by the PUCN 50 Outreach Information Pieces Distributed to Consumers at Events 19,623 Number of Media Requests for Information 328 Public Information Number of Non-Media Requests for Information 254 Number of Press Releases Distributed 34 PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF NEVADA | PAGE 6 2019 Biennial Report Gas Pipeline FY17 PUCN Program Ranks FY18 Program #1 Accomplishments In the nation in transparency of 2,485 Trees Saved 6.4% Below online pipeline safety information. Since 2007, the Electronic Filings PUCN expenditures & Records Management were 6.4% below the 144 Consumers System has saved 4,142 biennium budget. cases of paper and over This helped the For the first time in 2,485 trees. The entire PUCN to keep 15 years, the PUCN system stores docket the regulatory held a general information dating assessment consumer session in back to 1996, rate low, which Elko County in Sept. including over 7,569 benefited 2017. 144 consumers dockets and 132,369 Nevada attended. filings… over 2.9 million utility pages in all. customers. Online Glossary Net Metering Tracking Docket, intervener, rule 9 . Each business day, find out what these and other the PUCN reports the common utility regulation statewide total of applied terms mean online at for and installed http://puc.nv.gov/Consumers/ residential and small Be_Informed/Glossary/. business solar capacity, in megawatts, on the agency’s website. AB 405 (2017) set tiered net 42 Fewer Damages metering rates that the PUCN implemented, that Nevada continues to decrease gas pipeline damages decrease as applied for - a trend maintained since 2015. Approximately and installed residential 42 fewer damages and/or blowing natural gas and small business solar pipelines occurred in 2017, resulting in $63,000 reaches 80 megawatt in first-responder cost savings and $42,000 in benchmarks. avoided emergency gas pipeline repairs. PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF NEVADA | PAGE 7 2019 Biennial Report