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Senator Reid: Nevada "Playing to Win in Clean Energy"

By Rocky Fernandez, CEP Communications Director

This week, Senator Harry Reid released "Playing to Win in Clean Energy," a report detailing projects and policies moving Nevada's clean energy economy forward, as well as the policies needed to continue our progress in the Silver State.

CEP Executive Director Lydia Ball joined Senator Reid for the release of the report. The Las Vegas Sun's Karoun Demirjian covered the story where Lydia explained why clean energy means so much for Nevada:

“With no significant fossil fuel resources in Nevada, investing in clean energy economy is investing in Nevada,” said Lydia Ball, executive director of the Clean Energy Project, which promotes investments in renewable energy in Nevada.

The Department of Energy's Section 1603 grant program is among the key policies that have driven clean energy progress in the past year,  but expired last December. It was key to securing financing for utility-scale renewable energy projects. Meanwhile, incentives and tax breaks for polluting fuels have been made near-permanent in the tax code. Because Nevada lacks those resources, those old incentives-some of which have been in place almost a century-put Nevada and it's clean energy sources at a competitive disadvantage in the market.

Senator Reid further laid out the case for long-term investment in Nevada's energy resources:

“If we’re going to continue to get investments in the future, we have to work together to develop the state’s clean energy resources,” Reid said. “We’re fortunate to live in a state with an abundance of renewable energy resources. But the projects don’t happen by accident and they do not happen overnight. It takes important state actions for Nevada to realize its renewable energy potential.”

You can read "Playing to Win in Clean Energy" by clicking here.