A new poll shows almost three-quarters of Nevada voters support the Bring Back Solar ballot measure.(cleanenergy.org)

LAS VEGAS — Seventy-three percent of Nevada voters favor the Bring Back Solar ballot measure, according to a new poll commissioned by its supporters.



The poll surveyed 600 Nevada voters — on landlines and cell phones, in English and Spanish — about two weeks ago. It found that voters overwhelmingly support the proposal, which would undo last winter's decision by the Nevada Public Utilities Commission that eliminated net metering and made rooftop solar more expensive, effectively killing the local market.



Pollster Andrew Baumann, senior vice president of Global Strategy Group, said the level of agreement across the political spectrum is unusual.



"It's rare that you see in this polarized age something get this high level of support across partisanship and demographics," he said. "It's remarkably consistent."



NV Energy has called the PUC's ruling fair and said rooftop-solar owners don't contribute enough to support the grid. When pollsters first asked about rooftop solar without mentioning the ballot measure, support stood at 53 percent favorable, 13 percent unfavorable and the rest undecided. However, Baumann said, once pollsters read messages from NV Energy opposing the ballot measure, support for the measure climbed to the 73 percent number.



"After, you know, NV Energy has spent a million dollars or so attacking rooftop solar on TV," he said, "it's pretty clear that those ads have had just about zero impact on the popularity of rooftop solar."



The Bring Back Solar Alliance turned in 115,000 signatures for the measure. The Secretary of State is in the process of verifying them and is expected to announce the results in the next few weeks.



More information is online at bringbacksolar.org.