Wed, Nov 19, 2008 (2:08 a.m.)

Tuesday turned out to be quite an uplifting day in Washington for Nevada’s two senators. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, was reelected by his party colleagues to his powerful position.

Sen. John Ensign, a Republican, was promoted to the No. 4 position in his minority party as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee.

Both positions should enhance Nevada’s clout on certain issues, including its fight against the proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Reid’s position in particular should be enhanced because he will now be working with a fellow Democrat in the White House, President-elect Barack Obama. As majority leader, Reid will play a substantial role in whatever significant legislation reaches Obama’s desk.

“This year has been particularly challenging for all Americans, and with a narrow majority, passing timely legislation has at times been difficult,” Reid said. “But I look forward to again leading my colleagues into the next session with a promise of unity and bipartisanship to deliver the results that we as a country need.”

Ensign’s new role will give him more involvement in legislative strategy on the Republican side, but we hope he doesn’t forget Nevada’s best interests while carrying out his party leadership role.

For instance, we remain disappointed that the senator initially opposed the extension of renewable energy tax credits that were ultimately approved by Congress and signed by President Bush last month. Had Ensign and fellow Republicans supported those tax credits earlier, they could have been of considerable use to companies wishing to build renewable energy projects, including in Nevada. By the time the tax credits were extended, though, financial markets had gone into a deep freeze, preventing many of these developers from obtaining project financing.

Although he can be expected to clash with Reid when their political ideologies collide, we would like to see Ensign more frequently discard needless partisanship, especially on issues that directly affect Nevada.