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COMMENTARY: Dam proposal would protect rural Nevada

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COMMENTARY: Dam proposal would protect rural Nevada


The Hoover Dam is a lifeline to rural communities throughout the American Southwest. More than 1 million people in Nevada, Arizona and California rely on the clean energy that the dam produces. Public power utilities — that are not-for-profit community-owned — such as our organizations depend on the Hoover Dam to bring affordable and reliable energy to our rural Nevada communities.

Unfortunately, widespread drought on the Colorado River has had a dramatic impact on the dam’s ability to produce electricity. Energy generation by the dam has been reduced by 40 percent since pre-drought levels. When there is a reduction in the supply of hydropower generated from the dam, small rural public power utilities such as ours are forced to go to the market to purchase other energy sources, which are typically more expensive and less reliable. This has serious implications for rural Nevada ratepayers as energy prices are driven up and grid reliability is threatened.

While these challenges are significant, there are common-sense solutions that can help mitigate them. Unfortunately, the very resources that could help alleviate these challenges have been tied up in federal bureaucratic red tape.

In 2000, the federal government began collecting fees from hydropower users, putting the money into an account for dam employees’ retirement benefits. But when those benefits found other funding sources, the money was left unused. We are not talking about pocket change — right now there’s $50 million in funds for operations, maintenance and improvement projects to strengthen the Hoover Dam. These funds should be invested to strengthen the dam to safeguard Nevada’s hydropower. Instead, the money is just sitting in some account going unused because the Bureau of Reclamation can’t legally access it.

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Fortunately, there is a solution, and we are grateful to Nevada’s congressional delegation for coming together to push for legislation to solve this. The Help Hoover Dam Act was introduced by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Rep. Susie Lee and co-sponsored by Reps. Mark Amodei, Dina Titus, Steven Horsford and Sen. Jacky Rosen. If passed, this will allow the Bureau of Reclamation to invest that $50 million back into improving the dam.

These improvements modernize the dam so it can better withstand drought conditions and disasters, safeguarding the production of hydroelectric power, all while saving our taxpayer dollars.

Without access to affordable hydropower, utilities would have to purchase more power from the open market, which can spike to unaffordable costs on peak days. Rural Nevada communities simply can’t afford those price hikes.

The act puts funding that has already been allocated by the federal government to work, keeping hard-earned money in the pockets of rural communities, and secures our energy supply to prevent catastrophic failure in the event of a storm or natural disaster.

We urge Congress to join Nevada’s federal delegation and pass the Help Hoover Dam Act to invest in the future of the Hoover Dam’s hydropower that millions of rural Americans rely on, many of whom are our fellow Nevadans.

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Lisa Levine is the executive director of the Nevada Rural Electric Association. This essay was also signed by Joe Stubitz, utilities director in Boulder City; Dane Bradfield, general manager of Lincoln County Power District No. 1; MeLisa Garcia, general manager and CEO of Overton Power District No. 5; and Robby Hamlin, CEO of the Valley Electric Association.



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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. 

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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