Sustainability
Senate passes major health, tax and climate bill in boost for Democrats
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate, along party lines, passed a significant energy, health care, climate and tax package Sunday afternoon, following an overnight marathon of votes that resulted in just a handful of notable changes to the legislation. The 755-page bill was passed after Vice President Kamala Harris broke a 50-50 tie in the evenly divided Senate. […]
Court takes a pass but agreement pauses geothermal plant construction
A federal court this week refused to bar construction on a Nevada geothermal plant that opponents say threatens to destroy a sacred site and drive the rare Dixie Valley toad to extinction. But thanks to a legal agreement between project opponents and geothermal developer Ormat Nevada Inc. hours later, construction on the project will be […]
NV Energy seeks right to stick ratepayers with Greenlink bill
When NV Energy turned to Nevada lawmakers last year to salvage a massive transmission line project that state utility regulators had already partially denied because of the potential cost to ratepayers, the utility’s CEO testified any increase to customers was years away. “We will put thousands of people to work today and Nevadans will not […]
House passes wildfire and drought package
The U.S. House approved, 218-199, on Friday a package of bills to address the growing threat of wildfire and drought in the West. The measure includes 49 standalone bills from both Democrats and Republicans. It includes provisions to make permanent an increase in wildland firefighter pay, lift a cap on the federal cost share for post-fire […]
Colorado River crisis requires confronting sacred cow
A cap on the size of swimming pools in Southern Nevada, intended to reduce water lost to evaporation, will save about 10 acre feet a year – compared to the millions of acre feet Colorado River states must agree in the next month to conserve to avoid federal intervention. “We’re talking about needing to save […]
Biden lays out new funds for localities on climate, but no national emergency yet
With U.S. Senate negotiations over climate funding stalled, President Joe Biden on Wednesday directed additional spending to help states and cities manage climate disasters — resisting calls from many congressional Democrats to take more aggressive executive action like a declaration of a national climate emergency. Biden also announced steps executive agencies are taking to expand […]
Sisolak touts ARPA housing investments, says ‘minimum wage kind of took care of itself’
Gov. Steve Sisolak Tuesday acknowledged there is nothing the state can do to address rising gas prices, touted efforts to fix the housing crisis, and said he was open to working with lawmakers on increasing the state’s minimum wage and providing more tenant protections. Sisolak made remarks on those and several other subjects while meeting […]
Citizen scientists, Latino residents to track air quality in East Las Vegas
Study after study shows an important and often overlooked need in Latino communities: cleaner air. Air pollution is one of the most prevalent environmental health risks in the United States, but is disproportionately inhaled by Latino Americans. Now a community-led project in Southern Nevada is betting local Latino households and vendors can develop community-driven solutions […]
Supreme Court curbs federal power to regulate greenhouse gases
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday the Environmental Protection Agency lacks authority to broadly regulate greenhouse gases as pollutants, siding with a group of Republican attorneys general and coal companies in a major blow to the executive branch’s power to curb climate change. The opinion was a victory for 19 Republican-led states that undertook the […]
State upholds Thacker Pass permit, conservation group warns of toxic slurry in the making
The safe storage of mining waste has been a critical part of the debate over a lithium mine in northern Nevada, and now environmental advocates are pointing to a report warning that flawed analysis of the mine may lead to failures that could unleash toxic slurry into the state’s watershed. Lithium Nevada, a subsidiary of […]
Nevada needs tools to stop the extinction crisis
Nevada’s is among the most unique biodiversity of any state in the union – and it’s under assault by industry, mining, sprawl, and the ravages of climate change. Substantial reforms are needed to the state’s management of rare and imperiled species to avoid the extinction of Nevada’s species or a dramatic increase in federal Endangered […]
State legislative panels hold first-time joint meeting on climate crisis
When surveying Nevada residents on food insecurity, Nancy Brune with the Guinn Center found that the climate crisis and extreme heat had a direct impact on people’s ability to afford groceries. Brune, who is running for Las Vegas City Council, recently told lawmakers about efforts with the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services to […]