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StumbleHarry Reid, Dean Heller back clean energy legislation
STEVE MARCUS / LAS VEGAS SUN FILE
This solar field is part of the Nevada Solar One 64-megawatt solar thermal power plant in Boulder City’s Eldorado Valley Energy Zone.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010 | 2:29 p.m.
Harry Reid
Dean Heller
Congressman Dean Heller and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today introduced legislation that would extend royalties and lease income from solar and wind projects to home states and counties.
The Clean Energy, Community Investment, and Wildlife Conservation Act would change the system for acquiring Bureau of Land Management land for solar and wind developments from a “right of way” process originally intended for multiple use applications like grazing, off-road racing and transmission corridors, to a competitive lease auction.
Such a system has already been in use in the geothermal industry since 2007. Under the Reid-Heller plan, solar and wind developers would have to bid for leases on parcels made available from the BLM at an annual auction. The home state and county would each get 25 percent of the lease and royalty income over the life of the project. Another undisclosed amount would go toward funding the BLM’s renewable energy offices, which process applications for new developments and to a fund to aid wildlife and recreational uses of nearby land.
"This bill will ensure the legacy of renewable energy development in Nevada and across the west," Heller said. "While we encourage renewable energy development, we are also promoting responsible development, reinvestment in wildlife and habitat, and enhanced recreation opportunities. This measure will create jobs, provide a fair return to our state and counties, and allow Nevada to be at the forefront of renewable energy development."
In other renewable energy news today, Reid introduced legislation that would provide loans for high-risk geothermal energy exploration.
The Geothermal Exploration Act is intended to help developers overcome the high up-front costs of geothermal exploratory drilling. This is the most expensive phase of geothermal energy development and can take several years.
The bill would establish a fund from which the secretary of energy could provide loans to geothermal energy developers for the exploration.
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Obama has broken every promise indicated above. Is that what you believe in, someone who lies repeatedly? And Harry Reid is right beside him.
This is a good thing people. For our state, the country....and your children.
Thank G-d Dean Heller and Harry Reid saved Nevada again by allowing us to use our own land that the Federal government wants to control.
See we can't do anything unless the Federal government is involved. I am glad Dean subscribes to the same National Socialism Harry Reid believes in.
Hey Dean, why don't you just tell us that you plan on stabbing Sharron Angle in the back for her running against you in a primary in the past.
Hope you have fun running against Sue Lowden in the 2012 primary.
Ha, you know as well as I do, Harry is out in November, with a lot of his cronies so following BHO and his hurry up and pass everything to turn this country into a bankrupt copy of most European nations, is what he will do. Dems don't want to fix problems, they just want to create more of them.
So Harry Reid introduces renewable energy legislation that would create jobs and help Nevada pocket more revenue... And this is somehow a bad thing??!! That's what GOoPers want us to believe, but I'm not that stupid and most of my fellow Nevadans aren't. Hell, even REPUBLICAN Dean Heller signed on to sponsor this legislation in the House!
It's not his fault that Sharrontology Obtuse Angle is so crazy that he and the few other sane people left in the Nevada GOoP are running away from her as fast as they can.
athun, you never believed in Obama in the first place. What's your problem. I believe this guy tried his best to look out for me. I got a tax break because I am not making over $250,000 a year. You must be an elitist liar.
BEWARE Nevadans.....Green energy is not ready for prime time and will raise our energy rates to astronomical proportions...Bad Reid....Bad Senator....http://aBadReid.com
Ah, yes, Dean Heller, the famous liberal socialist. I would like to praise Heller for joining with Harry Reid, who has only spent his entire political career trying to make Nevadans' lives better. Has he always succeeded? Of course not. But at least he has tried. I am sure that his critics go to church on Sunday, though, and claim to follow the teachings of Jesus, that right-wing hater of all mankind. Uh, yeah.