Clean energy in Nevada gets boost from Washington

Leah Yudin, Las Vegas

Friday, Dec. 24, 2010 | 2:02 a.m.

Although the news on our economic recovery has not been great, clean energy has been doing its part to create jobs and clean our environment. Despite this success, a critical federal incentive for renewable energy, such as wind and solar, was set to expire at the end of this year.

To continue the growth of clean, renewable energy and to maintain and create tens of thousands of jobs, the renewable energy industries, environmental community, labor movement and others joined champions in the House and Senate — Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign and Reps. Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus — in a tremendous push to extend these incentives.

Thanks to their leadership and hard work, this program was extended another year in the tax package, and we will see more projects like the NGP Blue Mountain geothermal electricity project that received almost $58 million from this program.

Nevadans were lucky last week to have true renewable energy champions looking out for their clean air, environment and their jobs.

The writer is state field associate for Environment Nevada, an advocacy group.