Sustainability
NV Energy fluffing up renewable energy sales in reports, says state’s consumer advocate
Nevada’s Consumer Advocate Ernest Figueroa says NV Energy is fudging the percentage of electricity sales it reports from renewable energy sources in an annual report filed with the Public Utilities Commission, and would not meet its requirement if not for accounting practices that will soon be prohibited. In a filing with the Public Utilities Commission […]
NV Energy rejects legislation it sought
Legislation proposed by NV Energy to expand its production in the state and avoid costly energy purchases on the volatile open market doesn’t “go far enough” to secure an adequate supply of electricity, according to the utility’s CEO Tony Sanchez. “The great majority of what’s in Assembly Bill 524 already can be done by the […]
‘We blew a major opportunity this year:’ Session falls short on addressing drought, groups say
In the nation’s driest state, water emerged as a uniting issue among lawmakers and conservation groups during the state’s legislative session. This year saw a deluge of water conservation bills, from retiring water rights to septic tank removal and mitigating pit lakes to revisions for outdated water laws. While Nevada received some much-needed relief from […]
Western lands fight erupts over Bureau of Land Management’s conservation proposal
One thing opponents and proponents of a recently proposed U.S. Bureau of Land Management rule agree on: It would be a major shift in how the agency manages nearly 250 million acres of federal lands. The rule would allow for conservation leases, similar to how the agency auctions off parcels of land for mining, livestock […]
BLM rulemaking is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape conservation policy
While it may not receive the national headlines other federal agencies do, the Bureau of Land Management is one of the most consequential agencies in the federal government. Very soon, it could be one of our biggest sources of action to take on climate change. Altogether, BLM oversees 48 million acres in Nevada and nearly […]
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Biden wetlands regulation
The U.S. Supreme Court in a major environmental decision on Thursday overturned the Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of wetlands that fall under the agency’s jurisdiction, siding with an Idaho couple who’d said they should not be required to obtain federal permits to build on their property that lacked any navigable water. All nine justices agreed […]
Colorado River states reach an agreement, but not a solution
After months of negotiations, seven Western states along the Colorado River have agreed to water cuts over the next three years to help keep two of the main reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, from falling to critically low levels — but those cuts fall short of what scientists say are needed to stabilize the […]
‘Apprehensive but optimistic’: Nevada’s least populated county braces for industrial development
In the arid landscapes that make up Esmeralda County, there is a huge cache of untapped wealth that mining companies are racing to acquire: lithium. Ralph Keyes, the Chair of the Esmeralda County Board of Commissioners, likens the boom in mining applications to the California Gold Rush in its intensity, scale, and potential for lasting […]
We can’t solve the climate crisis by causing extinction
Tiehm’s buckwheat, the rare wildflower at the center of controversy for supposedly “standing in the way” of a lithium mine, is teetering on the edge of extinction. Dubious conservation programs, touted loudly by a mining company and its boosters, not only will fail to prevent the plant’s extinction in its natural range, but they do […]
Lithium mining company hopes to plow ahead by growing endangered plant in greenhouse
Rhyolite Ridge in Nevada is one of the only two major known global deposits of lithium-boron. It’s also the location of the only known population of the Tiehm’s buckwheat plant, a rare wildflower listed as endangered by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service in December. Despite the listing, Australia-based mine developer Ioneer Corp., has maintained […]
Interior secretary under fire at U.S. Senate hearing over management of public lands
Members of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee used a Tuesday hearing on the Interior Department’s fiscal 2024 budget to voice their displeasure with the administration’s energy production policies to Secretary Deb Haaland. The strongest criticism came from Republicans on the panel, though Chairman Joe Manchin III, a centrist West Virginia Democrat with ties […]
Electrification plan leaves low-income Nevadans behind
The Nevada Public Utilities Commission’s recent decision on funding for NV Energy’s Transportation Electrification Plan (TEP) is a significant blow to equity and environmental justice in the state. The state legislature requires NV Energy, the state’s largest electric utility, to outline how it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector. For this plan, […]