Reid continues to take firm stance against coal-fired plants

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday questioned the intentions of Nevada utilities that plan to build giant coal-fired power plants near Ely.

Reid, who participated in a Senate subcommittee hearing on forests and public lands at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has promised to use all his power to stop development of the Ely Energy Center by Nevada utilities and two other coal-fired plants under development by independent power producers.

Nevada Power Co. and Sierra Pacific Power Co. argue that their Ely project will enable the state to use more of its wind, solar and geothermal power because the project would require building a transmission line that will make more renewable power sites accessible to energy users in the state.

"That's a scam. It's a switch and bait" for the utility company to suggest the project will lead to more renewable power later, Reid said.

"All (the Ely project) will bring is more dirty air, more horrible weather, more illness," he said.

Michael Yackira, CEO of utility parent Sierra Pacific Resources, later called Reid's comment an affront to the company.

"We do not switch and bait or bait and switch," Yackira said. "We have never done that, and we never will. While we continue to have respect for the senator, we think he's been misinformed."

As part of the $3.8 billion Ely center, the Nevada utilities intend to build a transmission line that will enable the power plant to ship electricity to Las Vegas and Northern Nevada.

The transmission line also would connect the two electric companies directly for the first time, enabling Nevada Power to use more renewable energy, including geothermal power from hot underground water and steam sites in Northern Nevada.

Yackira said it's financially impractical to build the $600 million transmission line unless the utilities have the coal-fired power plant in Ely as "an anchor tenant."

"Wouldn't it be a shame if this abundant renewable resource leaves our state?" Yackira said.

Reid argues that Nevada's electric utilities should build renewable-energy plants and encourage more energy conservation. He says the utilities do not need to build a coal-fired power plant.

"I don't know how anybody could choose coal when we're so close to a renewable revolution," Reid said.

The senator also expressed reverence for natural areas in White Pine County, where Ely is located.

"We have days in White Pine County you can see for more than a hundred miles," Reid said. "White Pine County is a place of beauty, pristine air. And a regulated monopoly ... wants to build power plants in the middle of this pristine land."

The power plant would burn 7 million tons of coal every year, Reid said. Coal plants emit massive quantities of carbon dioxide, which scientists believe contributes to global warming.

"Global warming is here. Why is it here? Because we're using 21 million barrels of oil every day, every day, and hundreds of millions of tons of coal. We've got to stop that," Reid said. "So we need to use alternative energy."

Contact reporter John G. Edwards at jedwards@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0420.