Nevada Assembly committee advances package of bills on UAV procurement, utilities, fuel, wildlife and clean-energy rules

The Assembly Committee on Growth and Infrastructure advanced a package of bills in a work session on April 10, voting to amend and “do pass” measures on unmanned aerial vehicle procurement, public utility review processes, sustainable aviation fuel incentives, wildlife mitigation funding, recycling and solar decommissioning rules, property tax abatements for green buildings, wholesale solar generator station-power rules, and a utility confidentiality measure.

Committee Chair Watts opened the work session by asking the committee to reconsider a previous committee action on Assembly Bill 439 so members could consider an updated amendment. Committee members then considered and voted on the amended measures listed below.

Why it matters: The items the committee advanced touch multiple regulatory areas — procurement and national-security concerns for unmanned aircraft systems, PUCN (Public Utilities Commission of Nevada) review timelines and consumer refunds, incentives for sustainable aviation fuel and local production requirements, an increase in a per-tire fee to fund wildlife crossing projects, recycling and end-of-life rules for photovoltaic panels (and deferred treatment of battery provisions), tax-abatement rules for energy-efficient buildings, and who may retain privilege over information provided to regulators. Each bill now moves to the next legislative step with committee-assigned floor statements.

AB 439 (unmanned aerial vehicle procurement): The committee reconsidered and approved an updated amendment to Assembly Bill 439, which revises provisions governing the purchase or acquisition of certain unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and related equipment and services. The updated amendment adds an exemption clarifying that U.S. government entities remain exempt from a restriction on third-party access to data even if the manufacturer’s foreign headquarters or persons under foreign government jurisdiction are involved, and adds language stating nothing in the section should be construed to discourage procurement of U.S.-manufactured UAVs. The amendment also requires that purchases under the section comply with applicable federal restrictions, including prohibitions on using federal funds for certain unmanned aircraft systems. Committee action: motion to reconsider carried; motion to amend and do pass the bill with the updated amendment carried (motion to reconsider moved by Assembly Member Dickman, second by Assembly Member Gallant; amended motion moved by Vice Chair Carter, second by Assembly Member Karas). No roll-call tally for the final vote was read aloud.

AB 452 (public utilities; PUCN process and timelines): Assembly Bill 452, sponsored by Assemblymember Brown May, was advanced with an amendment that substantially revises timelines and process language for the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN). The bill as presented would require certain electric utilities to include a cost-sharing adjustment mechanism in resource plans and change how adjustments are reflected in rate proceedings; the amendment under consideration replaces section 1 with a requirement that the PUCN open investigatory dockets and provide progress updates, clarifies multiple timelines (including a specified 300-day period to issue a written order for certain schedule changes and a 135-day target for the energy-supply portion covering the next three years with 210 days for other portions), and adds a requirement for utilities to refund customers if the PUCN finds an overcharge (plus interest). Committee discussion included members noting ongoing stakeholder negotiations and several members voting “yes” to allow further negotiations to continue while reserving floor rights to change their votes. Committee action: motion to amend and do pass carried; named nays read for the record included Assembly Members Dickman, Moore, Karas, Gallant and Carter. Chair assigned the floor statement to Assembly Member Brown May.

AB 481 (sustainable aviation fuel incentive fund): Assembly Bill 481 would establish a sustainable aviation fuel incentive program and create the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Incentive Fund as a special revenue fund administered by the state treasurer. A conceptual amendment submitted by a refinery representative would limit the incentive to sustainable aviation fuel produced in Nevada. Committee action: motion to amend and do pass carried; the chair recorded nays from Assembly Members Guhr, Dickman, Yurick, Gallant and Carter. The chair assigned the floor statement to Assembly Member Brown May.

AB 486 (wildlife; tire fee increase / wildlife crossings fund): Assembly Bill 486 would increase the per-tire fee that sellers collect at point of sale from $1 to $2 and direct 95% of money held in trust to the Department of Taxation, with the state treasurer crediting half of those funds to a wildlife crossings account. Conceptual amendments discussed include requirements that Nevada Department of Transportation include collision counts and the use of wildlife crossings in analyses of highway projects; another conceptual change would raise a cost threshold for a “high-cost” highway project. Committee action: motion to amend and do pass carried; recorded nays included Assembly Members Dickman, Gert, Jurick and Gallant. The chair assigned the floor statement to Assembly Member Anderson.

AB 493 (waste; photovoltaic recycling and decommissioning plans): Assembly Bill 493 would establish provisions for recycling and disposal of propulsion batteries and photovoltaic panels and require certain surplus asset retirement plans for large solar projects to include decommissioning and land restoration information. Committee amendment removed the provisions related to propulsion batteries for further work and preserved photovoltaic recycling reporting and clarification text. Committee action: motion to amend and do pass carried; a recorded nay came from Assembly Member Gallant. The chair took the floor statement for the bill.

AB 528 (property tax abatements for green buildings): Assembly Bill 528 authorizes the Office of Energy director to approve partial abatements under a green building rating system that had been prohibited since July 1, 2021, establishes standards and resilience-credit pathways for buildings seeking abatements, permits assignment of abatements within a county, and requires annual reporting and regulations for local governments. Committee action: motion to do pass carried; recorded nays included Assembly Members Dickman, Jurek and Gallant. The chair assigned the floor statement to the chair.

AB 529 (wholesale solar generator station power in rural cooperative territories): Assembly Bill 529 sets requirements for wholesale solar generation facilities that become operational on or after Jan. 1, 2026, and are located in rural electric utility service territories. The amendment in conceptual form removes a requirement that projects grant the rural utility access to their facilities, clarifies station-power definitions for battery storage and geothermal facilities, provides that rural utilities may install or certify meters for station power, requires fair and comparable rates for station power, and excludes certain geothermal parasitic loads from station-power definitions. Representatives from Inner West Energy Alliance and Valley Electric Association presented the amendment and reported agreement with cooperatives on language. Committee action: motion to amend and do pass carried; at least one member expressed a “yes with reservation.” The chair assigned the floor statement to Assembly Member Dickman (temporarily) and noted floor-statement availability.

AB 46 (privilege for information provided to regulators): Assembly Bill 46, sponsored on behalf of the PUCN, clarifies that the privilege attached to confidential information contained in certain materials of utility entities is not waived by making that information available to the PUCN or certain governmental entities. Garrett Weir, general counsel for the PUCN, clarified on the record that the bill preserves privileged status where applicable and does not expand the PUCN’s authority to compel privileged attorney-client material. Committee action: motion to do pass carried; named nays included Assembly Members Backus, Moore, Karas, Gallant and Carter. The chair assigned the floor statement to Assembly Member Dickman.

Meeting context and next steps: Committee members noted tight legislative deadlines and several members voted to advance measures while reserving the right to change their votes on the Assembly floor after ongoing stakeholder discussions. The work session concluded with no public commenters and the chair thanking staff for late amendments and document preparation. Each advanced bill will receive the committee’s floor statement and proceed to the next stage of legislative consideration.

Speakers and attributions in this report are drawn from the committee work session transcript; direct quotations were not used to avoid misattribution where the transcript contained inconsistent name spellings.