Nevada

Perhaps Nevada’s best-kept secret is that it is home to over 150 mountain ranges, spanning across basin and range country, from the Rubies in Elko to Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park. Add in abundant opportunities from rafting the Black Canyon to climbing at Red Rock Canyon, and you have an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, especially for those of us that love to avoid the crowds.

In 2015, with one quick decision, the Nevada Public Utilities Commission shut down its solar industry overnight, by canning a policy called net-metering, making it prohibitively expensive for current and future solar customers to generate power on their own homes. This was a wakeup call for POW’s members, athletes, and companies that call Nevada home. The sun shines nearly 300 days a year in Nevada; this is hardly the place to prohibit solar power for the state’s homes and small businesses. The Silver State needs leaders that will push for a clean energy economy.

It’s true, in 2017, Governor Brian Sandoval reinstated net-metering, reversing that controversial decision. But, shortly after, Sandoval vetoed a bill that would have called for Nevada to get 40% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. Even though lawmakers in Carson City passed the measure with bipartisan support, Sandoval wouldn’t give it his signature.

Governors have the ability to decide what types of policies live and die in their state. With a federal government lacking on climate leadership and still debating if the changes we’re seeing are even real, we need state leadership now, more than ever.

Steve Sisolak (D)

Steve Sisolak is currently the Chair of the Clark County Commission in Las Vegas. A former businessman and member of the Nevada Board of Regents, Sisolak is running to become the next governor of the Silver State.

• Sisolak says “whether or not politicians are willing to admit it, climate change is real and poses a direct threat to our environment and our communities.” He intends to promote policies that will “address our changing climate, cut carbon pollution, and protect the resources we have.”
• He believes we should invest in clean energy, including solar power, as it can drive Nevada’s economy in the future. He has a proven track record of recruiting a solar company to the state to create good paying jobs. He vows to “continue to promote clean energy projects that can put Nevadans to work.”
• Learn more.

Adam Laxalt (R)

Adam Laxalt is the current Attorney General of Nevada. A former Navy Lieutenant and professor at the Naval Academy, Laxalt is now running for governor.

• When it comes to energy, Laxalt believes “we can meet Nevada’s energy needs, while protecting our natural environment, by taking a sensible, balanced approach to public policy. Too often, the heavy hand of government is used to try to force particular energy solutions on the entire population.” The Nevada Independent suggests this statement is a reaction to Nevada’s push to move to 50% renewable energy by 2030.
• While serving as Attorney General, Laxalt filed a brief against the Clean Power Plan, noting “With the Plan’s sweeping impact on our nation’s economy and costs estimated to be in the billions, it is important for Nevadans to continue to push back on unaccountable federal agencies.”
• Learn more.

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