Nevada
Feds advance four solar projects in Nevada, and more in surrounding states – Nevada Current
More utility-scale solar development is on the horizon for Nevada’s deserts after federal land managers announced the advancement of four proposed solar projects in the state Wednesday.
If approved, the combined projects would generate enough renewable energy and battery storage to power nearly 400,000 homes.
On Wednesday, the Bureau of Land Management released a draft environmental analysis for three of the projects in Nevada, which are now available for public comment.
In Mineral and Lyon counties, the Libra Solar Project would produce 700 megawatts of solar power and include 700 megawatts of battery storage to power more than 212,000 homes. According to the environmental analysis, the project would also include 24 miles of transmission line.
Federal land managers also released an environmental analysis for the proposed Rough Hat Clark County Solar Project, a utility-scale development west of Las Vegas. The Spain-based Candela Renewables project could potentially power more than 121,000 homes by adding 400 megawatts of clean solar photovoltaic power to the grid, and a 700-megawatt battery energy storage system.
That was not the only utility-scale solar project in Clark County pushed forward by federal land managers Wednesday.
BLM released a draft environmental analysis of the Dry Lake East Energy Center Solar Project north of Las Vegas — a 200 megawatts solar facility with 200 megawatts of battery energy storage. The project by Boulevard Associates, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, would also include a facility for an additional 400 megawatts of battery storage.
On Wednesday, the BLM also announced their intent to move forward with another NextEra Energy development, the Dodge Flat II Solar project, near Wadsworth in Washoe County. The agency said it will soon start an environmental analysis for the project, which would add 200 megawatts to the grid and a battery energy storage system.
Arizona and California are likewise set for solar development in the near future. Combined, projects in both states have the potential to generate enough renewable energy to power more than 113,000 homes in the region, said federal land managers.
More solar in more states
On Wednesday, the Department of the Interior announced an updated roadmap for solar energy development across the West, opening 22 million acres of federal lands to solar development.
The proposal, known as the Western Solar Plan, updates a decade-old plan identifying areas with high solar potential and low resource conflicts in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico in order to guide solar development and provide certainty to developers.
The new updated roadmap refines the analysis in the original six states and expands it to include Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.
By directing development to areas that have fewer sensitive resources, less conflict with other uses of public lands, and close proximity to transmission lines, the BLM believes they can permit clean energy projects more efficiently while maintaining public approval. Under the plan, the Biden administration hopes to achieve their goal of a 100 percent clean electricity grid by 2035.
“By updating this plan, we will facilitate faster and easier responsible permitting in priority areas, and improved consistency and processing rights of way for utility scale solar projects. Simply put, the updated Western solar plan will create the foundation for solar development and conservation on public lands for the future,” said Department of the Interior Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis, during a press call.
The proposal follows other regulatory updates, including pending renewable energy rules that would accelerate solar energy development on federal land in the West by sharply reducing fees, a move that could further incentivize renewable energy development on Nevada’s vast public lands.
Despite faster permitting and development promised under the new roadmap, Daniel-Davis assured “every proposed project will still undergo thorough and project specific environmental reviews with opportunities for public stakeholder input at every stage prior to project approval.”
In the first three years of President Joe Biden’s term, the BLM has approved 47 clean energy projects in the West, including 16 solar and 11 geothermal plants which combined are expected to produce over 11 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power 3.4 million homes. BLM has also approved 20 transmission lines for connecting new clean energy production to the grid.
The BLM is processing another 67 proposed utility-scale onshore clean energy projects on public lands in the western United States, including solar, wind, and geothermal projects. Those projects have the potential to add more than 37 gigawatts of renewable energy to the western electric grid once complete.
“All of the energy projects that we are announcing today will deliver enough clean energy to power more than half a million homes. As you can see from the number of projects we’re analyzing, our work will be greatly aided by the new Western Solar Plan,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning, during a press call.
The Western Solar Plan includes six alternatives, each proposing to make different amounts of public land available to solar development applications under different criteria such as proximity to transmission infrastructure, designated critical habitat, or other important ecological and cultural resources.
Conservation groups in Nevada said they hope to take advantage of the flexibility in the plan to push for responsible renewable energy development while protecting vulnerable ecosystems.
“We’ll be pushing for a final plan that allows solar energy on public lands that can support it while protecting ecologically sensitive areas that plants and animals depend on for survival,” said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Biden administration has presented us with significant choices about the future of our public lands: Will we allow solar energy production basically everywhere or confine it to previously disturbed areas and other places it’ll do the least environmental harm? The latter is clearly the best course.”
Stone-Manning, the director for BLM, said the agency is “extremely mindful of the importance of balance.”
“As timely and as important as our clean energy goals are, we also have a deep responsibility to manage healthy landscapes. wildlife habitat, and the cultural and historic resources on our nation’s public lands. To achieve that balance, we will continue to work closely with diverse partners, tribes, states, and other stakeholders, and the public in our effort,” she continued.
Public input will inform a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision. The public can submit written comments through April 18, 2024. More details are available on BLM’s Solar Program website.
The Las Vegas Raiders have orchestrated many groundbreaking moves this offseason, but none as important as the impact they made at a fundraising event.
Over the weekend, the Raiders hosted the Silver & Black Gala, raising $2.5 million for mental health in Nevada. Sunday marked the third time the organization had hosted the event, which has produced a tremendous turnout.
Several individuals spoke during the event, including Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and president Sandra Douglass Morgan, who each highlighted the importance of acknowledging mental health.
Davis’ Thoughts
- “We’re here to raise money for mental health, which is one of the most important things we can all deal with,” Davis said. “Every one of us is impacted by mental health and our families, friends, or anywhere else, we are all directly affected. That’s why it’s so critical to raise money for our community. We’re grateful for you all, and appreciate you being here.”
Morgan’s Thoughts
“Mental health remains one of the most urgent issues across Nevada,” Morgan said. “Through the Silver & Black Gala, the Raiders Foundation is helping expand access to trusted, community-based resources that meet people where they are. This year’s recipients reflect the depth and complexity of that work, supporting our community in schools, clubhouses, homes, shelters, and family systems statewide.”
The Raiders also honored former player Carl Nassib and NFL broadcaster Jay Glazer on Sunday night as the winners of the Commitment to Excellence award. Here is what each of them had to say.
Glazer’s Thoughts
- “First, this is incredible what the Raiders are doing,” Glazer said. “God blessed me with the ability to communicate, so I’m going to use that to try and help other people. When we’re willing to share our scars, we turn them into strength—into something that connects us as teammates with nothing to hide. That’s what builds a true team, a championship team. I’m proud to stand with you and be part of this team tonight.”
Nassib’s Thoughts
- “It is truly a privilege to be up here,” Nassib said. “We’re creating space for people to be vulnerable—and that work is truly lifesaving. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about showing up and reminding people they’re not alone.”
Overall Thoughts
This has been a tremendous event over the last few years, and the Raiders’ organization has done a great job of raising awareness for mental health. This will be an event that the team will continue to host in the future.
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Nevada
Nevada workers fear homelessness as housing, jobs vanish before July deadline | Fox News Video
The final casino resort in Primm, Nevada, will close this summer after years of declining tourism, ending gaming operations in the once-busy border town and putting hundreds of employees out of work.
Primm Valley Casino Resorts is shutting down its remaining hotel and casino operations in July as experts point to increased competition, changing travel habits and post-pandemic losses behind the decline.
RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) is in a strong position heading into the thick of his 2026 reelection bid — a huge war chest, almost universal name recognition and strong favorability numbers among the electorate.
Though Lombardo is likely focusing on the general election already, he faces 6 longshot candidates in the GOP primary seeking to upset him in June.
Nevada Governor GOP primary: 6 longshot candidates taking on incumbent Joe Lombardo
The challengers face a ‘Herculean’ task, said Mike Noble, CEO and founder of Noble Predictive Insights, an Arizona-based nonpartisan pollster focusing on the Southwest region.
“I see it as a Herculean task for anyone. If someone was coming in with like, I don’t know $10 million or something to spend, sure I can see that might be competitive, but I don’t see any of them coming anywhere near close to that. And so again, I just think I think it’s a non-factor at this point,” Noble said.
RELATED | Ballot Battleground: Nevada podcast: Early Noble poll shows dead heat in governor’s race
Despite the long odds, News 4-Fox 11 reached out to all candidates requesting an interview as part of our commitment to 2026 election coverage and our Know Your Candidates series. Three of the 7 running interviewed with us — Irina Hansen, Kameron Hawkins, Lombardo and Jose Zelaya did not respond to multiple emails requesting an interview.
We asked them similar questions about Gov. Lombardo’s leadership as governor, how they would pass a balanced budget and whether they support taxpayer subsidies for sports teams or major projects.
Click the candidate’s name to watch their full interview. Quotes below have been edited for space and clarity.
Donald J. Beaudry Jr. is an entrepreneur who founded BlkEdgeAi, a financial technology firm specializing in AI-driven trading systems and market strategy, according to his campaign website.
He told News 4-Fox 11 that Nevada has been drifting the last four years with ‘no captain, no vision.’ He believes his Wall Street-like trading market called NGEX (Nevada Global Exchange) would generate enough revenue to eliminate sales taxes, property taxes, business taxes and vehicle registration fees.
“I completely blueprinted it out and calculated that this model could generate enough revenue in this state that we could eliminate all the state taxes and fees that are currently in place and use that as the revenue source for the state and make everybody, every man, woman and child throughout Nevada, a shareholder in the dividends of that exchange … it would be a kind of Wall Street type of stock market, but far broader, more advanced, and exponentially more profitable.”
Matthew Rian Winterhawk is the founder of SmartSlaps foundation, a nonprofit that works to help schools and students with civic engagement and community responsibility.
If elected, he described going through a DOGE-like review of the state budget to determine which areas can be cut or kept depending on their ‘dollar to impact’ ratio.
“What I would like to do is go through every department, I’m talking top to bottom, from here from the primary to the beginning. We will cut every piece of administrative bloat across the system … I need more money for my teachers. Teachers never see it, students never see it, the impact never reaches the classroom. It’s 100% administrative bloat.”
The son of immigrants, Barak Zilberberg is now an entrepreneur and real estate investor based in Las Vegas. He ran for governor in 2022, earning 0.2% of the vote in the GOP primary. He told News 4-Fox 11 he’s also running for President in 2028.
He said he’s running for governor to improve the educational system, bring jobs to Nevada and open up federal land to build more affordable housing.
“We’ve got get high-speed railing systems in here where we can transit very easily, efficiently, and basically moving around between economies of both cities. Not only that, I’d like to bring Disneyland here and the Olympics, sponsor the Olympics here. I just want to make this a well-known place of entertainment, a hub.”
To help voters make informed decisions this election year, News 4-Fox 11 is publishing and broadcasting dozens of interviews with candidates who will appear on the June primary ballot.
In fairness to all candidates, they were asked a series of similar questions. We are posting the full interviews online so voters can watch their responses in their entirety.
Visit our Know Your Candidates 2026 page to view other race previews and meet other candidates.
Email reporter Ben Margiott at bjmargiott@sbgtv.com. Follow @BenMargiott on X and Ben Margiott KRNV on Facebook.
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