Harry Reid legislation would let Nevada reject California’s trash

By Stephanie Tavares
Thursday, March 4, 2010 | 5 p.m.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today announced he will introduce legislation that would allow state and local governments to refuse waste shipments from other states.

California cities for years have been sending their trash across the Donner Pass and into Nevada's desert.
Many Nevadans oppose recent plans by the Golden State to send even more trash to Northern and Eastern Nevada.

Federal law prevents Nevada or its various counties from refusing to accept the trash, but that might be about to change.
“I am a vigorous defender of interstate commerce, but communities must be responsible for their own garbage,”  Reid said in a statement. “Nevada is a beautiful place and should not be treated as a dumping ground for other states. It is only fair that state and local governments be given the ability to say ‘no’ to out-of-state trash.”

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2009 National Environmental Scorecard

The Nevada Conservation League joined the national League of Conservations Voters in releasing the 2009 National Environmental Scorecard, revealing scores for the Nevada delegation in the first session of the 111th Congress. For 30 years, the National Environmental Scorecard issued by LCV has been the nationally accepted yardstick used to rate members of Congress on environmental, public health and energy issues.

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NextLight and NV Energy Announce PPA For 50 MW Silver State Solar PV Project

NextLight Renewable Power, LLC and NV Energy announced today that they have entered into a power purchase agreement for NextLight's 50 MW Silver State Solar PV project, located near Primm, Nevada.

Silver State Solar, which will interconnect at NV Energy's Bighorn substation, is slated to commence construction as early as December, 2010 and to commence deliveries as early as May, 2011.  

NextLight has previously announced the execution of power purchase agreements with PG&E for NextLight's Antelope Valley Solar Ranch 1 and Agua Caliente Solar projects.  The agreement with NV Energy increases NextLight's capacity under contract to 570 MW. Click to read press release.

Interview with Jim Woodruff of NextLight

20-year power deal OK'd for geothermal energy

NV Energy Inc. has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with a subsidiary of Ram Power Corp. for energy to be produced by a new geothermal power plant in central Nevada.

The 32-megawatt Clayton Valley Geothermal Project is expected to be generating electricity by 2014.

Terms of the agreement, which is subject to approval by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, were not disclosed.

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Reid: Obama's budget would eliminate Yucca Mountain funds

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s budget will propose withdrawing a license application for a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Sunday.

In a statement, the Nevada Democrat said the president’s budget will call for eliminating all funds for the Yucca Mountain project.

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NV Supreme Court Deals Major Set Back to SNWA

The Associated Press

The Nevada Supreme Court on Thursday dealt a big set back to Southern Nevada Water Authority's claims to thousands of acre-feet of rural water near the Nevada-Utah line, saying the state engineer waited too long to act on dozens of water rights applications filed two decades ago.

The water authority in response immediately refiled its original applications to restart the process, saying the applications "represent the emergency water supply for the entire Las Vegas Valley should Lake Mead continue its decline."

The agency also warned that the ruling could have sweeping consequences and call into question thousands of applications or water permits statewide.

In an unanimous ruling, justices said Nevada law required the state engineer to act on SNWA's 1989 water rights applications within a year. Instead, they weren't considered until 16 years later, after many people who initially filed protests had either died or moved away.

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