Nevada
COMMENTARY: Solar development, conservation must go hand in hand in Nevada
Early in 2023, the Bureau of Land Management released the draft Public Lands Rule, a groundbreaking, once-in-a-generation proposal to restore balance to its management of 245 million acres of public land across the American West. America’s public land includes 48 million acres in Nevada, of which an overwhelming majority are currently open to oil and gas leases.
After 40 years of prioritizing extractive industries, the BLM now has the opportunity to balance its multiple use mission by putting conservation, cultural lands protection, recreation, access to nature, wildlife and climate change mitigation on equal footing with America’s energy needs.
What does this mean for Nevada, where 63 percent of the state is federal public lands managed by the BLM? After more than a year of growing support in public meetings and a formal public comment period that yielded more than 90 percent of comments in favor of the rule, the final regulation is poised to be rolled out in the next few months. Once finalized, local communities — which have long called for a more sustainable approach to land management — can begin working with local BLM field offices to rebalance conservation and recreation with resource extraction and development.
Importantly, the BLM is also working to ensure that public lands do their part in meeting our nation’s renewable energy goals. In Nevada, that means a carefully constructed solar energy plan that is built with the dual purpose of clean, safe electricity to Nevada communities while developing solar projects in a way that protects wildlife, landscapes and the health of the Nevada desert.
The Public Lands Rule is one of several proposals announced recently by the BLM. Another includes an update to its 2012 Western Solar Plan. The Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement will identify reasonable areas available for solar development, without interrupting the processing of existing solar energy applications. In fact, it will help accelerate implementation of national clean energy goals. The proposal will steer solar development to more appropriate landscapes, using criteria such as proximity to transmission infrastructure while avoiding protected lands, designated critical habitat and areas where important cultural resources exist.
If I have learned anything from my time in nature, it’s that things must coexist in order to thrive and be successful. Our planet and we as inhabitants will not survive by focusing only on biodiversity loss or the need to transition to a clean energy economy to reduce and slow down the impact of climate change. We need a holistic approach that fully analyzes the impacts and creates a collective path forward.
The forthcoming Public Lands Rule and updated Western Solar Plan can and should go hand in hand to ensure that we can simultaneously combat climate change and the biodiversity crisis — achieving our clean energy goals while protecting important landscapes and habitats in a “smart from the start” planning approach.
Diverse supporters from across the country have recognized the opportunity the BLM’s new rule presents and have raised their voices in support, including individuals who weighed in during the public comment period, endorsements from the outdoor industry, members of Congress, local elected officials, legal scholars, scientists, attorneys general, former BLM officials, hunters and anglers and more than 100 businesses. The process to finalize and implement the solar plan is no different, and the BLM will be hosting public meetings during the comment period, which runs through April 18, to provide information and answer questions.
As the world faces staggering nature loss and disappearance of biodiversity, these BLM lands are vital “connective tissue” across the western United States, providing critical migration and habitat corridors for wildlife between big wilderness areas and national conservation areas and monuments, and smaller private, state and county lands. The BLM and Biden administration must be commended for recognizing the importance of our nation’s public lands to our environment, local economies and renewable energy future. The Public Lands Rule and an update to the Western Solar Plan are long overdue, especially for the future of the American West.
Jocelyn Torres is co-interim executive director of the Conservation Lands Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and expanding America’s national conservation lands.
Nevada
Nevada Immigrant Coalition rallies in downtown Las Vegas on May Day to demand worker protections
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Nevada Immigrant Coalition held a march and rally in downtown Las Vegas on May Day, joining similar demonstrations across the country to demand better treatment for immigrant families and workers.
The event coincided with First Friday, drawing attention to the economic pressures facing local businesses and workers as costs continue to rise.
Noe’ Orozco, a representative with the Nevada Immigrant Coalition, said the group is focused on elevating people over corporations.
WATCH | Nevada Immigrant Coalition rallies on May Day to demand worker protections
Nevada Immigrant Coalition rallies on May Day to demand worker protections
“We’re trying to put people above corporations, and we one way. You can do that is definitely by supporting the local businesses, because a lot of the local businesses, they, they sustain themselves,” Orozco said.
Many local business owners and workers say they rely on the foot traffic that First Friday generates each month.
“It’s our one night a month that we get walking traffic as if we’re on Fremont Street or on the Strip,” said a business owner at First Friday.
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Workers also described the financial strain of the current economy.
“It’s very difficult to be living in the economy now without having two jobs,” said another business owner at First Friday.
The coalition said it is also responding to a recent surge in immigration enforcement activity across Nevada, which it says is negatively affecting local families.
KTNV
“Since the start of last year, we’ve seen a lot more of those overlapping conversations happening. And so, as I mentioned, right, highlighting the workers’ rights and a lot of those workers, a lot of workers that we engage with our migrant or immigrant workers, immigrant families, and so regardless of what industry you’re looking at, there is going to be an immigrant household that is being impacted,” Orozco said.
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An early morning earthquake in Nevada on Friday was felt as far west as the Sacramento Valley.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck around 1:17 a.m. about 50 miles east of Carson City. Shaking was reported across the Reno, Carson City and South Lake Tahoe areas.
People also reported feeling shaking along the Sierra Nevada foothills and into the valley, including in Roseville and Sacramento.
No damage has been reported.
The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.2. A magnitude 4.3 foreshock appears to have struck about two minutes before the main quake. Several aftershocks have followed, none larger than magnitude 2.7.
Nevada also saw a magnitude 5.7 earthquake centered in the same general area on April 13. Like Friday’s quake, that earthquake was felt in the Sacramento area.
Dr. Miriam Adelson and Mark Davis, two leaders at the forefront of keeping Las Vegas a world-leading tourist destination, were recognized Thursday with induction into the Nevada Business Hall of Fame.
Adelson, a philanthropist and the top shareholder of her family’s companies, and Davis, owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and the Las Vegas Aces, were honored at a dinner at The Venetian Expo that also celebrated UNLV’s Lee Business School and its transformation into one of the leading cultivators of Nevada business leadership.
Adelson is the top shareholder of Las Vegas Sands Corp., the market leader of the casino industry in the Chinese enclave of Macao and the operator of the iconic Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore. Sands also built and operated The Venetian and Palazzo and on the Strip before selling the integrated resort earlier this decade.
Adelson’s family also owns the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the Hebrew-language Israel Hayom newspaper in Israel. She leads the Adelson Family Foundation, the Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse Treatment and Research and is a medical doctor who once served as the chief internist in an emergency room at Tel Aviv.
Joining Adelson in Thursday’s induction ceremonies was Davis, who moved the Raiders to Las Vegas from Oakland, California, enabling the construction of Allegiant Stadium. He also purchased the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, who’ve won the league championship three times in the past four years.
Bringing the NFL
to Las Vegas
Davis began his efforts to relocate the Raiders from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2016 and worked with Adelson’s husband, the late Sheldon Adelson, to secure hotel room-tax funding for Allegiant Stadium. Although the Adelsons and Davis ultimately ended their stadium partnership, the team completed the project and began playing in Las Vegas in 2020.
In introductory remarks, former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones Blackhurst, interim vice president of philanthropy and alumni engagement and interim president of the UNLV Foundation, noted that while many didn’t see building a stadium as a wise investment for the state, Allegiant Stadium has become the leading large venue for sports and concerts.
Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Azzi, president of the IXs Foundation, applauded Davis as one of the leading advocates for women’s sports. She said Davis was insistent on paying women higher salaries.
“I’m honored, yet humbled to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Davis said.
In his presentation, Davis thanked Nevadans who helped the Raiders relocate to Las Vegas: the Adelsons, former Wynn Resorts executive Steve Wynn; MGM Resorts International CEO Bill Hornbuckle and his predecessor, Jim Murren; former Las Vegas Mayors Oscar and Carolyn Goodman; former Govs. Steve Sisolak and Brian Sandoval and current Gov. Joe Lombardo.
Rethinking business travel
Adelson recalled how she and her late husband saw Las Vegas as more than just a city for gambling, but as an ideal destination for conventions and trade shows.
She paid tribute to Sheldon Adelson, who founded Las Vegas Sands, and his vision of building integrated resorts that catered to business travelers as well as tourists. And she credited her background in medicine for helping her find her voice.
Adelson shared that as a host for conventioneers, they made sure there were plenty of outlets for electronic devices in every hotel suite, which set The Venetian apart from other resorts.
She urged UNLV students in attendance to follow the advice of her late husband — who learned business “on the streets” and not in college — and learn all they could about marketing and finance.
The Adelsons and Davis were instrumental in jump-starting sports tourism in Southern Nevada, widely recognized as a key means for bringing millions of visitors to the city to attend games and mega-events, resulting in billions of dollars in economic impact.
Additional honorees
Sponsored by UNLV’s Lee Business School, the Nevada Business Hall of Fame celebrates outstanding individuals who have shaped Nevada’s economic landscape and enriched its communities. Organizers say each inductee embodies the essence of Nevada’s entrepreneurial spirit, demonstrating innovation, resilience, unwavering dedication and an impact that resonates beyond their industries.
Two others were recognized for their business achievements at the event, attended by more than 400 people.
The Lieder Award, which recognizes exceptional leadership, entrepreneurship and contributions to real estate development, was presented to Alan Molasky, chairman of Ovation Development Corp.
In addition, Rick Crawford, the founder and president of the 50-store Green Valley Grocery chain of convenience stores, was honored with Entrepreneur of the Year.
More than 5,000 students attend the Lee Business School, which is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
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