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Pahrump electric co-op set to receive $80.3M for solar project • Nevada Current

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Pahrump electric co-op set to receive .3M for solar project • Nevada Current


A local power cooperative in Pahrump was awarded an $80.3 million federal loan for a solar project that would produce enough electricity to power 3,500 homes in the Pahrump and the Fish Lake Valley region.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans to invest $140 million for solar in rural communities in Kentucky and Nevada. Investment funds for the projects were sourced from the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Valley Electric Association, an energy cooperative based in Pahrump, plans to use its $80.3 million investment to install a 37-megawatt solar power generation and storage system that would serve a portion of their 20,100 members in Pahrump and the Fish Lake Valley region. 

Valley Electric Association was selected for the investment after committing to lower electricity rates for their members while lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The project is also expected to strengthen the energy grid and keep critical services powered in the region. 

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“We put a lot of effort into rural development with these new Inflation Reduction Act investments in making sure that it is reaching the hardest to reach places and communities that are often underserved,” USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small said.

In Nye County, home to the growing city of Pahrump, up to 40% of the population has three or more socioeconomic risk factors – high poverty rates, age, and low educational attainment, for example – that would make it difficult for them to absorb, endure, and recover from climate disasters, according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment — a congressionally mandated report due roughly every five years

“Rural people deserve continued energy opportunities as demand for clean energy increases,” Torres Small said. “The Biden-Harris Administration is working to make sure efforts to tackle climate change also help grow the local economy.”

The solar project is still in the initial stages of permitting, meaning it may take years for construction to start.

Valley Electric Association is one of approximately 900 member-owned electric cooperatives in the U.S., according to the power company. Valley Electric serves communities participating in the Rural Partners Network (RPN), a USDA-led collaboration between federal, state and local partners to help underserved communities access federal funding.

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Both the projects selected in Kentucky and Nevada are part of the USDA’s Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program, the largest investment in rural electrification since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act into law in 1936, according to the agency.

So far, USDA has announced more than $665 million of investments selected to proceed under the PACE program. The investment for Valley Electric Association marks the first project funded under the program in Nevada. Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, and Nebraska have already received investments.

Last year, the USDA made $1 billion available through PACE to fund new clean energy projects and energy storage in rural America. The program provides low-interest loans with up to 60% loan forgiveness to renewable energy developers, rural electric cooperatives and other rural energy providers for renewable energy storage and projects that use wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal and biomass.

Nye County officials, including in Pahrump, have expressed some reluctance to embrace utility-scale solar projects. 

Pahrump, the county’s most populous town, has been plagued by declining groundwater levels with domestic well failures increasing annually, according to county officials. Nye County officials expressed concern that cumulative solar development in the basin would only worsen the county’s water woes.

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However, the county is also the site of some of the largest planned solar projects in the state, including the 2,250 megawatt Chill Sun Solar Project along the U.S.95, and the 700 megawatt Copper Rays Solar Project southwest of Pahrump.



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Nye County Sheriff urges caution after deadly month on rural Nevada roads

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Nye County Sheriff urges caution after deadly month on rural Nevada roads


A string of deadly crashes in and around Pahrump has prompted Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill to push for more safety measures along dark, sidewalk-free roads.

“The worst penalty is death, if you consider that,” McGill said.

The recent deaths include a single-vehicle rollover on State Route 160 during the morning hours of the last Wednesday in January that killed one person and injured another.

Then, into February, two pedestrians were killed in less than three days.

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The first was a 7 p.m. crash on Quarter Horse Avenue. Investigators believe a 2006 Jeep Liberty was driving on the street when it hit a pedestrian, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

A few days later, this last Saturday, state troopers responded to a crash just after sundown at Charleston Park Avenue. A sedan hit a pedestrian, who was also pronounced dead at the scene.

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Nevada State Police investigators are still investigating both pedestrian cases before more details are released.

McGill said the recent crashes were enough to spur action.

“When the third one came out, I was sitting at home and watching TV. I looked at my wife and I said, ‘We got to do something about this,’” McGill said.

McGill is responding with a reflective vest giveaway, pointing to limited infrastructure as a possible factor. He noted a lack of street lights off State Route 160 and no sidewalks inside the community.

“The only light that you have is the ambient light from houses and cars so it is really dark,” McGill said.

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John Treanor of AAA Nevada said poor visibility can quickly turn dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians.

“It is very easy to be confronted with a situation that you cannot see coming because the visibility might be bad,” Treanor said.

Treanor encouraged pedestrians to carry lights and drivers to be prepared if they end up outside their vehicles in dark conditions.

“Having lights on you. Even carrying a flashlight allows something where a driver can see it,” Treanor said. “If you are a driver, make sure you have the right stuff in your car, in case you do get in a situation where you are on the side of the road and now you are in dark. Make sure you have a kit with some reflectors, some lights. Anything the trunk of your car in case you need it.”

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McGill said vigilance is important even in daylight.

“Any time of the day, you have got to be vigilant. You have to keep aware of your surroundings if you are a walker or on a bicycle or if you are the driver,” he said.

Authorities also urged caution as more people may pull off roads in rocky areas along the route toward Death Valley National Park during springtime blooms, increasing the need for drivers and pedestrians to stay alert.

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Mansion on the Nevada Side of Lake Tahoe Swiftly Sells for $46 Million

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Mansion on the Nevada Side of Lake Tahoe Swiftly Sells for  Million


A waterfront mansion on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe just sold for $46 million, less than three weeks after hitting the market. 

The speedy deal marks a departure from the typical U.S. market.

Nationwide, homes took a median 78 days to land a buyer in January, five more than the same time last year and the 22nd straight month of homes taking longer to sell on a year-over-year basis, according to data from Realtor.com. 

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The lavish log cabin-like residence, in Incline Village, listed on Jan. 24 for $47.5 million. It sold 20 days later, on Feb. 13, listing records show. 

The more than 7,000-square-foot residence was built in 2014, and has double-height living spaces, walls of windows, beamed ceilings, fireplaces, and plenty of rustic exposed stone and wood, listing images show. 

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There’s also a gym, a wet bar, a spa, a wine room, an office, two separate game rooms, seven bedrooms and dramatic Lake Tahoe views. Outside, there’s a private sandy beach, multiple decks, a heated driveway and two exterior fireplaces, according to listing information. 

MORE: Visited by Kings and Larger Than Manhattan, Giant Scottish Estate Asks £67 Million

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The seller and the buyer are both limited liability companies, according to property records. Both parties were represented by Jeff Brown of Tahoe Mountain Realty, who declined to comment on the deal. 

The median home price in Incline Village was $1.595 million as of December, a fall of 3.3% from a year earlier, according to data from Realtor.com. Listings, meanwhile, spent an average of 130 days on the market. 



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Green Valley edges Liberty in Class 5A softball — PHOTOS

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Green Valley edges Liberty in Class 5A softball — PHOTOS