Sen. Harry Reid
Posted: July 23, 2010

Over my 40 years in public service, including my time as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I have seen the evolution of public perception and political will on global warming and energy policy.

We have gone from a public that was averse to change to one eager to take advantage of the untapped possibilities of tomorrow.

We know that we cannot squander opportunities to create jobs and grow our economy, just as we cannot afford to lag behind our competitors in a 21st century global economy. We know our potential: In Nevada, critical investments in solar, geothermal and wind energy, as well as energy efficiency, are diversifying our state's economy and have created reliable jobs that can never be outsourced. That story can and should be told across the nation.

And, of course, we know the cost of inaction. The Gulf oil spill was the most recent warning, but other reminders happen every day. Rising energy costs and our dangerous dependence on foreign oil demonstrate our urgent need for a national clean energy strategy. Democrats are firmly committed to achieving this goal.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With this week’s announcement by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that the Senate will move to a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill this month, the League of Conservation Voters released new public opinion research today that demonstrates nearly 7 out of 10 voters want the Senate to act on comprehensive climate and energy legislation.  View the full poll.

The new poll by the Benenson Strategy Group shows 67 percent of voters believe the federal government should be doing more when it comes to regulating corporate polluters and 65 percent believe the federal government should invest more in clean energy sources.  In the aftermath of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico – the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history – voters believe Congress needs to do more than just make BP pay. Additionally, voters reject the opposition’s position that “now is not the time.”

This past Earth Day week and month seemed like a “coming out” party for Harrah’s Entertainment’s earth friendly programs.  Harrah’s seemed to be everywhere celebrating the planet and the effort to keep it healthy and clean.  But in reality, the company has been very active in the green arena – and not just in Nevada where it is based.

Several years ago the company embarked on an aggressive best-in-class sustainability strategy driven by grassroots engagement of employees.  The program, “CodeGreen,” is Harrah’s sustainability brand which focused on employee education and operations driven initiatives through a unified language and vision.  At each of Harrah’s 35 domestic resorts, a CodeGreen leader is responsible for implementing programs each month as part of a company-wide strategy.

There has been a great deal of media coverage of the opening of CityCenter in Las Vegas, especially about its massive scale and countless sustainable attributes.  Many were fortunate to have been given tours before and after its opening.  Narrowing the focus to just the ARIA and Crystals, we were guided by Cindy Ortega, MGM MIRAGE Corporation’s senior vice president of the Energy and Environmental Services Division.

Today marks a momentous occasion: the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Launched in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson, the event encourages communities to get involved in protecting the environment.

Earth Day aligns with the Department of Energy's (DOE's) own mission to provide clean, renewable energy for all. DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) invests in clean energy technologies that work to protect the environment and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future.

In the last few months, Nevada businesses, elected officials, and other groups have reiterated the need for comprehensive federal energy and climate legislation.  They understand that such legislation will help fix our broken economy by adding new jobs in emerging clean energy technology and implementation, and help to cut down on the $1 billion that leaves our economy every day to buy foreign energy.

Wind turbine manufacturing facility would employ 1,000, boost state’s clean-power resume

By Stephanie Tavares
Friday, March 12, 2010

Southern Nevada, long in the hunt for a new source of jobs and for companies that can boost the state’s stature in the renewable energy industry, can claim both with Thursday’s announcement that an international manufacturer of wind turbines plans to establish its first American plant here. The 320,000-square-foot facility... Read more