He says their investment to date is “probably the tip of the iceberg.” “The bear is fighting for its life, basically,” Wellinghoff said. He blasted NV Energy’s attacks as “scare tactics” and “total garbage,” but acknowledged they were having some success. Jon Wellinghoff, a former FERC chairman close to Reid, has been working on the pro-amendment campaign for several months. “The West is different in that regard and they have longer memories for the California implosion,” he said. Marc Spitzer, a former regulator in Arizona and at FERC, said reminders of the California crisis remain potent in the region. “On top of higher rates, electricity deregulation in other states has led to less reliable power and even rolling blackouts,” a firefighter says in oneĪnti-amendment ad, as newspaper clips about California power outages in 2001 zip by the screen.

The $62 million NV Energy has put toward defeating Question 3 has gone intoīranding the initiative as a “new, unknown system” and a “risky experiment” that echoes the Western energy crisis in the early 2000s. “They’ve way outspent and they’re going to win.” “It’s clear that Buffett has decided to loosen the purse strings,” said Nevada political expert Jon Ralston. But NV Energy has thrown roughly twice as much money into its efforts to kill the amendment, which will appear on the November ballot as Question 3.īoth sides are offering a similar pitch - promising lower energy prices and more opportunities for renewable power - but the “No” campaign seems to be doing a better job drawing voters to its side. In addition to Adelson’s eight-figure contribution, making him its largest patron, the data storage company Switch has also contributed $12 million to the cause, according to state campaign finance records.

Adelson and his company Las Vegas Sands have funneled more than $20 million into supporting the Energy Choice Initiative, a constitutional amendment which would allow Nevada customers to choose their own power providers.

Las vegas casinos leaving nv energy