CARSON CITY — Nevada officials have begun awarding contracts for “green jobs” training projects that will be funded by federal money, and one consulting contract for at least $48,000 has been awarded to a Clark County commissioner.
Energy
President Barack Obama squinted up at one of the thousands of solar panels at a Nellis Air Force Base installation he toured Wednesday morning, listening as Sen. Harry Reid and base commander Col. Howard Belote told him about the photovoltaic array that supplies a quarter of the base’s electricity.
President Obama at Nellis AFB – view the slide show
Gibbons and Goodman disappointed that Obama didn’t say ‘magic words’
Both the governor of Nevada and the mayor of Las Vegas declared themselves disappointed Wednesday after President Barack Obama only sorta kinda said it’s good to come to Las Vegas. They had been hoping for a stronger endorsement of business and convention travel to Las Vegas.
Video: Gov. Gibbons speaks with Review-Journal editorial board
Sherman Frederick’s blog:
Obama gives no apology to Las Vegas; shame on Harry Reid
Solamar, a Pardee Homes LivingSmart community in northwestern Las Vegas, was a showcase for energy efficiency during the fact-finding tour recently conducted by the Nevada Senate Committee on Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation, which is seeking to expand the use of renewable energy in the state.
Editor’s note: Stan Hanel is a veteran of the electronics industry and active advocate of electric vehicle technologies. This column is the first of a regular series that will appear in Drive.
CARSON CITY — Nevada lawmakers, facing a June 1 adjournment, rushed Thursday to complete work on “green energy” legislation which has become one of the major initiatives of the 2009 session.
Here’s a summer riddle for you: What’s clear and fresh and very clean, all blue but still completely green? If you guessed a swimming pool, you’re right. But what’s green about a clean pool? The green isn’t from algae but from the energy saved by using a variable-speed pool pump.
CARSON CITY — As lawmakers rush through the final weeks of their 2009 session, they’re working out details on bills to help Nevada overcome obstacles to realizing its full potential as a renewable energy leader.
RENO — An environmental group says it plans to sue two federal agencies, claiming a public lands management plan adopted last year for more than 17,000 square miles in Nevada amounts to “ecological disaster” for nearly a dozen protected species.
WASHINGTON — If the federal government already manages huge chunks of Nevada and other Western states, why should it be allowed to take even more property out of private hands to build high voltage power lines?
Hiking is one of my favorite activities since I love reconnecting with the natural world. Safety is always No. 1 so I try to avoid paths that get too close to dangerous cliffs. Call it self-preservation. I’m also not a speed demon, preferring to savor the experience — noticing the details.
CARSON CITY — Jump-starting a renewable energy economy in Nevada has emerged as a top priority for Nevada lawmakers who are battling to close a gaping budget hole.
KINGMAN, Ariz. — A Tempe-based firm intends to build and operate what it says will be the world’s largest solar-thermal power plant on land in northwest Arizona that it has acquired from Las Vegas developer Jim Rhodes.
Imagine driving the equivalent of round trip to Denver or one way to Houston from Las Vegas on just one tank of gas. You may have to stop for other reasons, but it won’t be for fuel if you’re behind the wheel of a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.
The Interior Department is directing more than $300 million in federal “economic stimulus” money to the Bureau of Land Management to update its facilities, roads and trails and jump-start renewable energy projects across the country, said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who performed like a trained seal here Saturday.