NV Public Utilities Commission Reported: US DOJ & NV Attorney General for ADA Accommodation Removal

LAS VEGAS - May 29, 2025 - PRLog -- Since its inception in 1997, the National Toxic Encephalopathy Foundation (NTEF), a medical and environmental non-profit organization, has actively advocated for and raised awareness about the health implications associated with endogenous environmental exposures.

One of the primary reasons that the public contacts the NTEF pertains to ADA Accessibility. It is commonly anticipated that once an accommodation has been agreed upon and implemented, the matter is regarded as resolved.

When a state agency formulates an accommodation program, it is reasonable to expect that their General Counsel will endorse and adhere to it.

On May 6, 2014, Breanne Potter, Assistant Commission Secretary of the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (PUC), issued an email and informed the media of their strategy to address an accessibility issue raised by a ratepayer. However, it is noteworthy that they failed to disclose that this action was forced rather than being taken out of a sense of fairness.

The proposed plan involved the installation of signage and a notation on any Notices of Consumer Sessions inviting public attendance to reflect this accommodation.

On April 4, 2025, Trisha Osborne, the PUC's Assistant Commission Secretary, generated and published a Notice of Consumer Session scheduled for June 4th.

Upon the discovery of this accommodation omission and a subsequent request for justification regarding the elimination, Osborne, the individual responsible for the notice, declined to respond and referred the matter to Garett Weir, PUC's General Counsel's voicemail.

Weir has adopted a rigid stance in addressing ratepayers' inquiries, evidenced by his automated response stating, "We are not your attorney; you need to hire one," even in instances where his own agency is in violation of established protocols.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) stipulates that for an accommodation to be deemed "reasonable," it must satisfy three criteria: 1) its not a financial burden on the business; 2) there is no necessity for major structural modification/s; and 3) there is no major alteration of the intended purpose of the event.

Complaints regarding this omission have been filed with the Nevada Attorney General's Office, as well as with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Civil Rights, targeting the PUC and naming Weir as the party responsible for these omissions. It is asserted that Weir authorized and or approved the removal of this accommodation. This incident is not an isolated occurrence.

It is important to note that this is not the first instance in which complaints have been lodged against the PUC and various other employees of the PUC.