Phoebe Sweet

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Cleaner cars, whether we want ’em or not: If EPA lets states set own rules, the tightest will prevail; Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009; What California wants, California gets. And the rest of us get it, too, even after Nevada has tried at every turn to defy lefty, California environmental initiatives.
Second thoughts on coal plants are contagious, it seems: Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009; The announcement may have proved the environmental version of the domino theory — when one coal plant falls, the next isn’t far behind.
Report: U.S. policy shift could aid UNLV: Monday, Feb. 9, 2009; The news has been mostly bad for Nevada’s higher education system in recent months.
Michael Allman, CEO of Sempra Generation: Monday, Feb. 2, 2009; Sempra Generation opened North America’s largest thin-film solar photovoltaic plant in Boulder City. The Sun talks to the company's chief executive about the cutting-edge technology.
Winds of change blow back: Residents of Searchlight, unlike Boulder City counterparts, staunchly oppose wind farm in community; Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009; When Duke Energy went to Boulder City to pitch a wind farm outside Searchlight, the company was greeted with a virtual love-in.
EPA allegations spark call for checks on state’s mines: Environmental groups cite worry about mercury contamination; Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009; Environmental groups say the EPA’s allegations are particularly troubling because the Nevada Environmental Protection Division has been inspecting the mines for years without finding any major violations. Bonnie Gestring of the environmental group Earthworks, says the EPA’s allegations are particularly troubling because the Nevada Environmental Protection Division has been inspecting the mines for years without finding any major violations.
Bryan: Dump plan demise is not a lock: He warns against gutting the state agency fighting the nuclear repository; Friday, Jan. 23, 2009; By all accounts, the plan to put a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain is all but dead. The new president has said it is not safe to bury radioactive material 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has chipped away its funding for years, has vowed to zero out its budget this year.
Critics: Power line routes favor coal: And, they say, feds failed to adequately account for effects on wildlife; Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009; Federal officials failed to resolve year-old concerns about effects on wildlife and renewable energy development before designating routes for new power lines and pipelines in Nevada, environmentalists say.
Fake grass has a drawback: It gets too hot, study says: Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009; Artificial turf has been billed as the cure for the Las Vegas Valley’s addiction to grassy eye candy. But while it’s water-saving prowess is unquestionable, there is a temperature problem with the emerald green lawn substitute.
Green mantle sought in Nevada has other suitors: Competition has grown along with support; Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009; Since the current recession began, local environmental groups have been saying that increasing renewable energy production in Nevada would mean new jobs.
Foes of coal see hope in cancellation of Iowa plant: But developer says it’s going ahead with plans for plant near Ely, despite losing partner; Monday, Jan. 12, 2009; LS Power, a developer proposing a large, coal-fired power plant near Ely, last week canceled plans for a similar plant in Iowa, and opponents of both plants are hailing the decision as yet another sign that coal is in trouble.
Incoming agency chief has sleeves rolled up: Gibbons appointee says he’s ready to lead Nevada’s fight against nuclear waste dump; Friday, Jan. 2, 2009; On Monday, Gov. Jim Gibbons appointed Bruce Breslow, a former sportscaster and past mayor of Sparks, to take over for the embattled Bob Loux as director of the state’s Nuclear Projects Agency.
New plant would strain consumers, suit says: Friday, Jan. 2, 2009; The state Consumer Protection Bureau says NV Energy customers will pay too much for electricity if the utility is allowed to build a gas-fired power plant 25 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
Now you can know when air is bad: E-mails from government warn of pollution in the area, present and future; Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008; Many Las Vegans simply rely on a quick check of the brown ring of smog across the mountains rimming the Las Vegas Valley for an indication of our air quality.
Science of Sci-Fi in storage plan?: State is contesting federal safeguards it calls pipe dreams; Friday, Dec. 19, 2008; The federal government has a plan to keep Las Vegas safe from the radioactive waste it wants to store at Yucca Mountain. Too bad none of those things exist, opponents say.
When the power company builds, we pay: But when expansion plans were aired, public was mostly silent; Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008; A nearly 18 percent increase in residential electric rates proposed by NV Energy sparked public outrage last week. Consumers are saying a down economy is a poor time to charge customers more.
Gibbons mum as govs take stand on burning coal: Other Western leaders call for tough emissions limits on old plants as well as new; Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008; The Western Governors’ Association’s list of energy policy suggestions for the Obama administration is mostly standard fare.
Rail line hangs on hearing: Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008; The Energy Department shouldn’t be allowed to build rail lines in Nevada to carry high-level radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain until it first examines the repercussions of shipping the waste through other states, Nevada officials will argue today.
NV Energy flush with ‘green’ power proposals: Obstacles to pursuing one are considerable, even with renewables mandate in 2015; Friday, Nov. 28, 2008; The number of renewable energy developers responding to a call from NV Energy to design the utility’s next green project has doubled from last year.
Six Questions for Benjamin Grumbles: Environmental Protection Agency’s assistant administrator for water; Monday, Nov. 24, 2008; Benjamin Grumbles, the Environmental Protection Agency’s assistant administrator for water, has a lot of pictures of himself with toilets.
Copper prices threaten mining town: In towns whose economies lack diversity, one crashing market can be devastating; Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008; Bruce Kennedy, manager of the Robinson copper mine near Ely, hasn’t been sleeping well.
Study finds no power gluttony here: Despite summer swelter, Vegas ranks near middle for home heating, cooling; Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008; Anyone who has lived through a scorching Nevada summer and survived the accompanying power bills might assume that Las Vegas homes use more energy each year than homes in other cities.
Endangered fish swim in water Las Vegas wants: Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008; One of the few places in the world the endangered Pahrump poolfish calls home is a stream that’s not supposed to exist — hundreds of miles from Pahrump.
Up in smoke: Future of 3 proposed Nevada coal plants in jeopardy: Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008; The Environmental Protection Agency’s rejection of a permit for a Utah coal plant this week spells trouble for three coal-fired power plants proposed in Nevada.
Leave the venerable Colorado River be: Water authority says renegotiating Nevada’s take won’t increase our share because climate change is slowing the flows; Friday, Nov. 14, 2008; Nevada’s share of the Colorado River is so small that it seems only logical that a rewriting of the 80-year-old law that divvies up the river would go our way.
On Gold Butte, a tug of war between access, protection: Plan to give area strict federal protection would also shut many out, critics say; Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008; To get close to the copper-colored rocks of Gold Butte and the 1,000-year-old petroglyphs etched on them, it takes not only four-wheel drive, but a sturdy set of hiking shoes.
Like their cattle on BLM land, family of ranchers stands firm: Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008; Don’t let the 1,000-pound weight difference fool you — burrowing desert tortoise and plodding cattle are both big grazers.
Yucca isn’t the only difference: On some energy issues, distinctions between presidential hopefuls are matters of degree; Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008; Before all the talk turned to the economic crisis, the energy crisis had our attention.
Solar, wind not the prescription for cheaper gas: Only a drop in demand will do it, UNLV prof says; Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008; From as near as the Nevada Senate and from as far as the halls of the U.S. Congress, we’ve heard that renewable energy is the key to lowering gasoline prices. Too bad it’s not true. Solar + wind does not = cheaper gas.
Solar investment that pays: Big increase in federal rebates in ’09 will help homeowners cover installation cost; Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008; Any time environmentalists and renewable energy advocates gather, the question is bound to come up: Why doesn’t every Southern Nevada home have solar panels on its rooftop?
Next president has power, though not absolute, over waste dump decision: Monday, Oct. 13, 2008; Today, the Yucca Mountain project is a horseshoe-shaped tunnel under 1,000 feet of an unimpressive peak in Southern Nevada. It’s 60 miles as the crow flies to the lowest point in the continental United States, Badwater in Death Valley National Park. From Yucca’s ridge it is also possible to see the highest point in the continental United States, Mt. Whitney, as well as ancient volcanoes and a major fault line.
Two decades later, how we got here: A look back at the nuclear waste plan that unifies Nevada, divides Obama and McCain; Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008; The sound bites are simple:
John McCain supports plans to store high-level nuclear waste 90 miles from Las Vegas at Yucca Mountain.
Barack Obama does not.
Titus backs renewables; Porter says, ‘drill, baby’: With few exceptions, positions on energy reflect party lines; Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008; Following their party platforms, 3rd Congressional District opponents Jon Porter and Dina Titus largely disagree on what course the nation should take toward energy independence, with Porter embracing coal and nuclear power and Titus emphasizing development of renewable energy.
Film on water woes targets children: Backed by Water Authority, movie aims to draw attention to shortage; Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008; Jim Thebaut is working with the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to create a curriculum to teach children where their water comes from and how to conserve it.
Nevada Power to become NV Energy: Company also wants to construct giant power line from Northern to Southern Nevada; Monday, Sept. 22, 2008; Sierra Pacific Resources, parent company to Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific Power companies at the two ends of the state, announced today that it will change its name to NV Energy.
Tiny car draws stares, questions: It may be Smart, but attraction to some is its ‘personality’; Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008; Driving a Smart Fortwo car is like punching the kid sitting next to you in third grade. Sure, it will get you attention. But maybe not the kind you were looking for.
Six questions for Robert Boehm: Director, Center for Energy Research at UNLV; Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008; Robert Boehm is director of the Center for Energy Research at UNLV and has been researching solar power for 40 years.
Trout species still threatened, U.S. finds: Monday, Sept. 15, 2008; Last week offered a mixed bag for Nevada fish, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the Bonneville cutthroat trout does not warrant protection by the Endangered Species Act but the Lahontan cutthroat trout does.
Eager applicants line up to build plants: Federal agency has no formal policy for approving plans for Nevada desert; Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008; While debate continues in Congress over tax credits for renewable energy, solar developers are trying to solve America’s energy crisis on their own.
Six questions for Robert Redford: Filmmaker, Sundance Institute founder; Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008; Robert Redford narrates a new short film, “Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars,” that is being shown this week by environmental groups in seven cities in Nevada and Utah.
Report: Going green could reap 15,000 new jobs for Nevada: Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2008; A new report from the Center for American Progress says $100 billion in green investment could create 2 million jobs in the U.S., including
15,000 in Nevada.
Reid continues to hammer McCain on renewable energy: Monday, Sept. 8, 2008; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his fellow Democrats, Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and Ken Salazar of Colorado, slammed Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, during a conference call with reporters today regarding renewable energy and the Southwest.
Coal foes hope film riles up Nevadans: Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008; Environmentalists said it was a sign that a wave of coal plant proposals across the country was finally ebbing when an unlikely coalition of environmentalists, small-town mayors, ranchers and other citizens persuaded a Texas utility company to scrap plans for eight of 11 new coal-fired power plants last year.
Loans to help rid residents of their lawns: Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008; Today is the first day Henderson residents can apply for low-interest loans to help cover the costs of replacing grass with desert landscaping.
Turning desert green comes with caveats: Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008; It was clear that conservation groups would oppose coal plans in the Nevada desert. Less clear was how they would react when solar developers announced they would build huge arrays in that same desert.
Summing up the summit: No grand plan, but many ideas: Experts ferret out faults, including in Pickens’ plan; Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was supposed to leave last week’s National Clean Energy Summit with a plan, one that he and other politicians could take to the Democratic and Republican national conventions.
More money available to help with utility bills: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008; Nevada Power Company announced today that it has increased its energy assistance funding by $100,000 this year, in part thanks to a $50,000 donation from the Harrah's Foundation.
Green can fatten Nevadans' wallets, too: That’s what summit speakers stress in advocating massive investments; Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008; The green in “green energy economy” is money as much as environmentalism. That was the message Tuesday from academics, business leaders, governors and other politicians to more than 1,000 attendees at the National Clean Energy Summit at UNLV.
National Clean Energy Summit highlights: Google investing in geothermal; increased efficiency of homes urged; Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008; Google announced today that it's philanthropic arm will invest $10.25 million in what it's calling a breakthrough new energy technology that would use the earth's heat to make electricity.
Oilman says renewable energy the only hope: Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008; T. Boone Pickens compared America to a boat with no oars headed toward Niagara Falls today, referring to the nation's energy crisis, during the National Clean Energy Summit at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.