Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Guest Column:

Prioritize clean energy for public health

Nevada has so many assets in terms of climate, culture and an eager workforce. Among our best resources is our potential for growth in a renewable energy economy. We have abundant sun, wind and geothermal resources, along with a friendly business climate. Nevada’s partnership with private investment in battery production is expected to pay off with sustainable, good-paying manufacturing jobs. Thoughtful policies aimed at building more renewable energy, smart grid, energy storage and efficiency technologies can make us a leader in America’s green-energy future. Clean energy can be an economic boon for Nevada.

Beyond the economic potential, transitioning to renewable energy is healthy. Burning gas and coal to generate electricity cause serious health problems, including heart and lung disease. We notice the health effects of polluting power sources every summer, when inversions trap ozone and other air pollution over the valley, creating those air-quality warnings when we are advised to stay indoors and not work or exercise outside. During inversions, those with underlying health conditions suffer. In my medical practice, I treat children with asthma and more adults with heart and lung problems suffering from coughing, congestion and shortness of breath as a result of air pollution.

In our land of sunshine, NV Energy still uses coal and gas to provide most of our electricity. Almost 90 percent of the energy we consume comes from outside our state, so Nevadans are paying other states for dirty fuels that pollute our air instead of investing in clean energy industries that create jobs here.

Although Nevada is transitioning away from coal for power generation, natural gas is not a healthy alternative. Natural gas leaks release toxic chemicals known to cause cancer, lung diseases, digestive problems, headaches and other symptoms. Strong evidence suggests that leaked natural gas chemicals also cause long-term learning and psychiatric problems in exposed infants and children. Natural gas also releases methane, an incredibly powerful greenhouse gas that is driving our increasingly hot and dry climate. An EPA analysis of the Clean Power Plan found that gradually transitioning to renewable sources of electricity and improving energy efficiency could avoid 3,600 premature deaths, 1,700 heart attacks, 90,000 asthma attacks, and 300,000 missed work and school days each year.

Legislators and public utility regulators should begin to acknowledge and track the health and environmental costs of these fossil fuels. Estimating the social cost of carbon is a well-established technique for accounting for the harmful effects of fossil fuels. In 2015, Nevada burned 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide for electricity. Given a conservative estimate for the social costs of carbon of $40 per ton, this costs us at least $600 million in health expenses, increased drought, heat and agricultural losses. Worse yet, these costs will increase year over year so that we are forwarding a carbon debt to our future selves and our children.

Doctors and other medical experts support transitioning away from fossil fuels. The American Medical Association supports efforts to reduce power plant emissions and to require a comprehensive health impact assessment for natural gas pipelines. This year the Nevada State Medical Association passed a resolution in support of legislation and regulation to “meaningfully reduce” fossil-fuel emissions from power plants, increase renewables and energy efficiency, and include health cost analysis in decisions about power generation.

As Nevada lawmakers gear up for the 2017 legislative session, they should enact bills that unlock the growth potential for homegrown clean energy. Priorities should include restoration of the rooftop solar industry, increasing the renewable portfolio standard, closing our remaining coal-fired power plant by 2020 and encouraging community-based clean energy. Assembly Bill 5, which allows local governments to create improvement districts for energy efficiency and renewable projects, is a great start. Combatting climate change and carbon pollution will require an “all-hands-on-deck” approach. We need to stay informed and involved and push our state and local leaders toward bold, rapid and innovative action for our future health and economy.

Joanne Leovy has been a family physician in the Las Vegas area for over 15 years. She is an active member of the Nevada State Medical Association, Clark County Medical Society, Nevada Academy of Family Physicians and Physicians for Social Responsibility, and she supports several local environmental and clean-energy organizations. Her opinion is independent of her employer or affiliated organizations.

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