PUC Agrees to Release a Thousand Pages of Records – for $339
The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada doesn’t keep an accurate sign-in log of visitors to its headquarters in Carson City and has maintained for five months and counting that Commissioner Noble’s public office appointment calendar isn’t a public record.
Yet the PUCN’s December 23 decision that effectively fired 5,000 Nevada solar workers mirrors the template provided to utility commissioners by the industry lobbying group Edison Electric Institute (EEI).
Noble’s Travel Records
In order to help the citizens of Nevada understand if this is coincidence or reflective of a cozier relationship with EEI and its member, NV Energy, we filed a public records request on January 19, 2016. The request asked to see Commissioner David Noble’s travel records for expenses and reimbursements. Specifically, we’re curious about Mr. Noble’s attendance at “any conference, convention, seminar, workshop, tradeshow, continuing education course and/or meeting” from February 17, 2012 through today. We also asked to examine a list of his vacation days.
One Thousand Pages
On January 26, we received a letter from the PUCN notifying us that there are approximately 1,000 pages responsive to our request. As soon as we send in a check for $339, they will provide the records. Although we believe that the importance of this issue should grant a waiver of these fees, in order to expedite our investigation, we won’t contest the demand this time.
After we examine Noble’s travel records, we will report back any and all relevant information that furthers our understanding of what one Nevada couple called the “the Christmas bait-and-switch decision.”
You can read a full copy of the request HERE.
Evlondo Cooper is a senior fellow with Checks and Balances Project, a national watchdog blog that seeks to hold government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP comes from pro-clean energy philanthropies and donors.
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