Almost two years after Gov. Joe Lombardo scrapped his Democratic predecessor’s statewide plan to address climate change, he released a shorter version this week that emphasizes Nevada’s mining industry and promotes clean energy.

The 33-page “Climate Innovation Plan” focuses on Nevada’s production of minerals needed to transition away from fossil fuels and the removal of federal red tape for clean energy projects. It’s much different from former Gov. Steve Sisolak’s 255-page plan, no longer available on the internet, that set clearer carbon emission reduction goals.

In a statement released online, Lombardo said the document addresses Nevada’s changing climate in a way that considers the economy and national security.

“By harnessing clean energy, improving energy efficiency, and fostering economic growth, we’re establishing Nevada as a leader in climate solutions,” Lombardo said. “By addressing these environmental challenges locally, we’re able to strengthen the future of our state for generations to come.”

The plan has drawn the ire of Nevada Democrats and some environmentalists who say it lacks a clear vision for combating climate change in what climate scientists say is the nation’s driest state with the two fastest-warming cities.

Lombardo also pulled Nevada from the multi-state U.S. Climate Alliance last July. Nevada’s state climatologist, Tom Albright, said he wasn’t consulted in the planning process.

The governor’s spokeswoman declined to make him available for an interview but said in a statement that the plan focused on “reducing carbon emissions without providing an unrealistic timeline for reduction.” Environmental stewardship isn’t a partisan issue, she added.

Gemma Smith, an Arizona State University public policy professor, said Nevada having a climate change mitigation plan at all is a positive. While cities and counties can put forth goals at the local level — like the All-In Clark County Plan — some issues require a statewide lens, such as policy encouraging the use of electric vehicles, she said.

But including no distinct data is to the new plan’s detriment, Smith said, especially when compared with Sisolak’s more comprehensive plan.

“It’s quite difficult to evaluate the new Nevada climate plan from a scientific or a policy perspective because it doesn’t really outline specific metrics or goals,” Smith said. “Still, there needs to be some sort of unifying vision.”

Sisolak said he had not yet read the new plan in full.

“It’s a step back from what we did,” he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Thursday. “We wanted something that could be measured and quantified, but he decided to go in a different direction.”

Assembly Minority Leader Philip P.K. O’Neill, R-Carson City, said in a brief phone interview that Lombardo’s plan corrects Sisolak’s lofty plan — a clear overreach of government, in his view.

“This brings things back into reality,” he said. “It’s attainable and realistic.”

How do these plans compare?

Aside from helping clean energy projects go live faster and advocating for Nevada to produce important minerals such as lithium, used in electric vehicle batteries, Lombardo’s plan discusses managing wildfire threats and the agriculture industry’s efforts to sequester carbon, where carbon dioxide is stored in soil.

After listing seven goals, Lombardo’s plan lists dozens of initiatives already in motion, including various grants and ongoing programs like PFAS monitoring in the state’s water, efforts to establish more electric vehicle charging stations, and Nevada’s role in continued Colorado River negotiations.

It mentions Nevada’s contract with NZero, a green tech company that a ProPublica investigation found secured millions in government contracts without delivering carbon emission data it had promised.

Sisolak’s plan more heavily relied on citing available science and community engagement, consulting more than 1,500 people across the state via listening sessions.

The document notably spoke of how Nevada would work to implement Senate Bill 254, which set carbon emission reduction goals: 28 percent by 2025, 45 percent by 2030, and net-zero — or near-zero — by 2050.

Criticism and praise

Some Democratic legislators like Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch and Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager took to social media to express their disappointment in the plan, which they think takes credit for some of the work put in motion under the Sisolak administration.

“If one of my students submitted an essay like this ‘climate plan,’ I would give it back to be rewritten,” wrote La Rue Hatch, a public schoolteacher in Washoe County who serves on the Legislature’s Joint Interim Natural Resources Committee. “Even my students know that taking credit for the work of others and offering vague statements with zero evidence to support them is not good enough.”

Attempts to reach the three Republican members of the committee Thursday were unsuccessful.

Doing everything in Nevada’s power to shorten timelines for new mining and energy projects on public land is important to the state’s much hotter future, O’Neill said.

It’s the same environmentalists who take green energy companies to court that are calling for emissions to be reduced, he said.

“Then they’ll turn around and say, ‘Hey, we need green energy,’” O’Neill said. “You can’t have it both ways.”

The Nevada Clean Energy Fund did not respond to a request for comment about the governor’s push to fast-track mining and clean energy. A Nevada Mining Association spokeswoman said the group’s president, Amanda Hilton, was not available to comment Thursday.

Environmental groups such as the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and the Nevada Conservation League weighed in on the plan, characterizing it as one without an accountability function.

“We’re gutted to see Governor Lombardo publish his alleged ‘Climate Innovation Plan’ without consultation or collaboration from the everyday people he represents, community organizations and conservation leaders in Nevada,” said Christi Cabrera-Georgeson, the Nevada Conservation League’s deputy director.

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.

RENO, Nevada (AP) — Three members of a Nevada family have been arrested in connection with a verbal altercation last week in Virginia City, where a Black man from Texas said a racial slur was directed at him.

A 74-year-old man, his 67-year-old wife and their 45-year-old daughter were arrested Wednesday. They have posted bail and have been released from the Storey County Detention Center, Undersheriff Eric Kern told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Undersheriff Kern and a spokesperson for justice court in Virginia City both said Thursday that they didn’t know if family members had a lawyer. The AP has been successful in its efforts to locate the three since their names started circulating on social media Monday. No court date has been scheduled.

The man faces misdemeanor charges of noise violation and breach of peace, with the latter charge including an enhancement for committing a crime based on race. Kern did not share any details about what led authorities to add the racial enhancement, making it a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to a $2,000 fine and a year in jail.

The mother faces one count of battery and the daughter one count of obstructing or delaying a police officer. Those simple misdemeanors are punishable by fines of up to $1,000 and six months in jail.

After video of the incident spread on social media, Kern confirmed there was at least one act of vandalism in the form of “tagging” at local business and that deputies are investigating several threats to businesses and business owners in the community.

The incident occurred Friday when Ricky Johnson was collecting signatures for a ballot measure during a popular classic car festival in Virginia City, a tourist town just south of Reno.

Johnson began recording video after the alleged racist comments were directed at him. He said the man’s comments included a reference to a “hanging tree.”

In the video, Johnson demands that the man repeat those words. At no time on the video does that man utter any racial epithets. But at one point Johnson asks him the location of that “hanging tree,” and the man replies “in your backyard.”

A loud, profanity-filled argument followed before a woman told Johnson he was on her property. Johnson repeatedly asks her not to touch him as they move the conversation into the street, the video shows.

Johnson posted the video to TikTok, drawing prompt condemnation from local and state officials. The sheriff’s office interviewed Johnson and others involved, then turned over evidence to the district attorney.

Storey County Sheriff Mike Cullen announced the arrests in a news release Wednesday night. He said his office was “continuing to look at all the information presented and all information preceding the initial video recording and actions of all parties and witnesses leading up to the altercation.”

“Separate from this incident the Storey County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the state of Nevada is compiling the threatening and harassing phone calls that continue to come in to our community,” Cullen said.

The arrests drew quick praise from Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, who is Black.

“The public outcry was heard loud and clear, and steps have been taken to hold these individuals accountable for their racist and unlawful actions,” Ford said.

Johnson, who is from the Houston area, was in Virginia City working for Advanced Micro Targeting Inc., a Texas-based company that provides voter outreach and get-out-the-vote services. He was collecting signatures for a proposed Nevada state ballot initiative aimed at capping fees that attorneys collect from clients in personal injury cases.

After initially speaking with the AP by phone Monday before returning to Texas, Johnson has not responded to phone calls or texts seeking additional comment.

The verbal altercation occurred in downtown Virginia City, an old mining town that attracts tens of thousands of tourists who walk its wood-planked sidewalks filled with old saloons and stores.

___

Kelety reported from Phoenix .

There’s nothing scarier in football than facing a team with a ferocious defensive line.

A few Southern Nevada high school teams have one.

Here is a look at the Review-Journal’s top returning local defensive linemen entering the 2024 season:

Eliah Logo, Liberty

Logo, a three-star defensive end, committed to UNLV in January. He had 22 tackles as a junior last season to help the Patriots reach the 5A Division I state title game.

Logo was a 5A Division I first-team selection by the coaches last year, his first at Liberty.

Steve Manuma, Desert Pines

Manuma has led a strong Desert Pines defense the last three years. The Jaguars will be counting on him again as a senior.

Manuma finished with 36 tackles and nine sacks in eight games last season. He was an All-Southern Nevada second-team selection.

Sione Motuapuaka, Bishop Gorman

Motuapuaka was a key part of Bishop Gorman’s 5A Division I state title and fourth mythical national championship last season.

He recorded 55 tackles and four sacks as a junior. He was an All-Southern Nevada first-team selection and committed to Utah in June.

Prince Williams, Bishop Gorman

Williams was another Bishop Gorman standout last year. He shined as a sophomore, totaling 96 tackles and 10 sacks.

Williams is a three-star prospect and the state’s third-ranked recruit in the class of 2026, according to 247 Sports. The All-Southern Nevada first-team selection’s notable Division I offers include Arizona, Florida, Miami (Florida), Utah and Washington.

Semaj Williams, Legacy

Williams recorded 6½ sacks and 39 tackles last season to help the Longhorns win the 5A Division III state title.

He was named to the All-5A Division III first team by the coaches for his efforts. Legacy will lean on Williams again this year as it moves up to 5A Division II.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.