Heller named to Senate energy, commerce committees

WASHINGTON -- Nevada's new U.S. senator, Dean Heller, won appointment Wednesday to two Senate committees that handle several issues affecting the state, including renewable energy, public lands, aviation and tourism.

Heller, a Republican who took office on Monday, was named to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, his staff said.

He also was named to the Special Committee on Aging, which doesn't handle legislation but reviews the workings of federal programs affecting senior citizens.

"My top priorities in the U.S. Senate are economic growth and job creation, and these committees will provide the platform to do this," said Heller, who was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Republican Sen. John Ensign.

The Energy and Natural Resources Committee has jurisdiction over energy policy, research and regulations. It has been the venue for dealing with renewable energy and electricity transmission among issues of interest in Nevada in recent years.

The panel oversees national parks and the management of public lands, including bills that have dealt with Lake Tahoe and Bureau of Land Management land auctions in Nevada counties.

The committee has jurisdiction on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site but has been relatively quiet on that project since Democrats took control of the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has wielded influence on the matter.

The Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has a broad plate, and Heller's influence might be determined by the subcommittees to which he is named.

The panel's subcommittees deal with aviation, telecommunications, consumer protection and product safety, science and space programs, and railroad and other forms of surface transportation.

There was no immediate word Wednesday on Heller's subcommittees.