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Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
President Barack Obama walks with Sempra U.S. Gas & Power’s, from left, CEO Jeff Martin, Vice President Operations John Sowers and Kevin Gillespie, right, while touring their Copper Mountain Solar 1 photovoltaic plant Wednesday, March 21, 2012 south of Boulder City.
By Conor Shine (contact) 
Published Wednesday, March 21, 2012 | 12:15 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, March 21, 2012 | 3:15 p.m.
Obama's Boulder City speech
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President Obama discusses his energy plan at Copper Mountain Solar 1 in Boulder City.
Sun reporter Conor Shine is providing media pool coverage of President Barack Obama’s visit today to southern Nevada. Shine will be with the presidential party during the entirety of Obama’s three hours on the ground in Nevada and will provide reports to media outlets throughout the region about the visit.
The Sun will publish Shine’s updates throughout Obama’s visit.
2:59 p.m.: With a wave from Air Force One, Obama ends three-hour visit
The presidential motorcade arrived back at McCarran Airport at 2:41 p.m.
The president quickly made his way onto Air Force One, but not before stopping to give one last wave to Las Vegas from the top of the air stairs and then disappearing into the plane.
Air Force One took off at 2:51 p.m. and is now en route to New Mexico.
2:06 p.m.: Obama touts 'All of the Above' energy plan in speech, heads back to airport
After riding out into the middle of the massive Copper Mountain Solar 1 field, the president exited his vehicle for a brief walking tour, lasting about 10 minutes. During the tour with Sempra CEO Jeffrey Martin and Kevin Gillespie and John Sowers, two Sempra operations workers, the president visited a weather-monitoring station and asked about the field's power producing potential.
"I don't want to break one of these," Obama said as he walked past a solar panel. "They look expensive."
The president quickly segued into his speech in front of a small gathered crowd in the middle of the solar field.
During the 16-minute speech, the president, who ditched his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves in the desert heat, touted his "all of the above" energy plan.
Obama chided "some politicians" for not supporting renewable energy in addition to expanding domestic oil and gas production.
"These politicians need to come to Boulder City and see what I'm seeing," he said.
The president also made reference to the nearby Hoover Dam, which he called a testament to "the notion that we can do anything."
After the speech ended shortly before 1:30 p.m., the president shook hands and greeted the public before returning to the motorcade.
The motorcade departed at 1:58 p.m. and is en route to McCarran Airport.
12:25 p.m.: Motorcade makes its way through Henderson, arrives at Copper Mountain Solar 1
The presidential motorcade arrived at Copper Mountain Solar 1 at 12:18 p.m. local time.
The motorcade traveled west through Henderson with no complications on its way to the solar field.
There weren't any large crowds gathered along the motorcade route, although about 40 people were in the parking lot at the Railroad Pass casino, waving and taking pictures as the president drove by. Several other people stood outside their homes to watch the procession, including a bare-chested man who stood on top of his fence, cheering and waving his shirt above his head.
President is scheduled to begin his tour of the facility in about 30 minutes.
12:09 p.m.: Air Force One touches down at McCarran
President Barack Obama touched down at McCarran International Airport shortly before 11:30 a.m. local time.
Upon exiting the plane, Obama, wearing a dark suit, blue shirt and purple tie, was greeted by Clark County Commissioner Susan Brager.
After a brief conversation and handshake, Obama made his way over to the small crowd that had been granted access to the landing area.
After asking the crowd "How's it going?" the president made his way down the line, shaking hands and greeting members of the crowd, including high-fiving a young boy who had worked his way to the front of the crowd.
The presidential motorcade departed the airport for Copper Mountain Solar 1 in Boulder City at 11:41 a.m.
What a joke. He's had three years to prepare for this energy crisis. He's done NOTHING. Now gas if $4 a gallon when it was $1.75 when he was inaugurated. That alone is reason to vote against him.
Maybe President Obama should convene Cheney and Bush to bring in their cronies to mave secret meetings and dish out a secret energy plan like Bush did?
Thank you Judy! The reactionism of the ill informed nut wing class is actually rather tiresome. Their knee jerk reactions to everything Obama would be laughable except that their self produced stress will probably cost us in the long run when we're paying for their strokes after he is reelected in November.
This plant has five full-time employees. Isn't that just great!
America will switch to "green energy" when fossil fuels run their course.
Economics drives change not "touchy-feely" green energy.
Want proof....when was the last time the US engaged in Whaling for oil?
I miss Bush/Cheney gas prices. At least they never coveted european energy prices like president Algae Solyndra does.
Las Vegas is so low-class. Where is the Mayor of Las Vegas OR Boulder City to greet the President of the United States.
Sad and humiliating.
transplanted,
If you recall, the last time Obama was here there was *only* the mayor there to greet him.
Oblamer comes to town and nobody cares. lmao !!
The visit reminds me of Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale about the Emperor's Clothes. A child, who was unafraid, told his surrounding spectators that the emperor was naked, as he drove by in his cavalcade, while all of his people had been beguiled by the lie that the emperor wore such gossamer threads that he was clothed and not supposed to be naked.
Would some child stand up today and tell Emperor Obama that the solar power arrays do not generate electricity at night, and that they generate only about 100 watts per square meter during the best time of day? Would he tell Emperor Obama that Fossil fuel power stations are needed to generate the majority of power anyway around the clock and that solar array power only shocks the grid and raises the price of electricity? Would he tell Emperor Obama that he knows that Obama-power is intended to create an energy famine to reduce civilizations back to the Middle Ages?
I hope such a child wouldn't get arrested for sedition.
Obama will do anything for votes. The REP candidate has to just list Obama's record since taking office., Unemployment 8.3 really 15% with the underemployed and those that have given up looking, Housing ,Tarp money ,Bailing out the unionized car cos (GM and Chrysler) increasing our debt by 5 Trillion,failed foreign policy, reducing our military strength, no budget in 3+ years. If u think we are better than we were 3 years ago vote for him. BTW where are his school records? Even if u are a janitor u have to have your records. Isn't America wonderful?
please stop "visiting" mr president--you can't believe the traffic mess you create every time you come thru las vegas--please stay at home.
5 workers for $54 million in subsidies.
http://www.writeonnevada.com/
I miss the president that never apologized, gave our enemies a smack down and let the oil companies pump!.
President Obama.....
Thank you for your visit to our great state of
Nevada and for moving our country into the future
by supporting our new green energy programs.
Nevada is the green energy state.
YOU ARE THE MAN!!!
FOUR MORE YEARS!!!
And please ignore the ignorant republican
crybabies who are brain-dead and don't know
any better.
These fools are stuck in stupid.
AA president campaign stop. 50k+ in airport delays local, 250k+ nationwide. 100k+ locals burning gas and totally ticked due to unnecessary traffic snarls. 100+k_ locals who stayed home to avoid snarls. 1/2 million votes lost, because AA man not smart enough to land at Nellis and fly Marine 1 to solar site.
President Obama is using the power of the presidency to advance his agenda while also campaigning and the solar facility is the perfect backdrop to send a message about his commitment to clean, renewable energy. Incumbent presidents have a built-in advantage over their opponents and that's doubly true this year considering the field of pathetic GOP candidates.
Mitt, Rick, Noot and Ron. It's like the cast in a bad sitcom that gets cancelled after ten episodes. Clearly, they're all losers but one of them has to win, probably the flip=flopping RINO. The next few months will be very entertaining.
More proof from my above statement.
These crazy republicans went off the deep end.
They can't help it.
They've never seen a great president like this
before.
Thank God republicans don't run this country
anymore.
LastThroes...good comment.
YES, these republican fools are fighting for the
honor of losing to President Obama.
This will be another ugly loss for the greedy,
heartless republican party.
In the Pacific Northwest, energy efficient homes sell faster, fetch more on the market and come with tiny little utility bills if at all.
http://pacenow.org/documents/seattle_gre...
In Colorado the 800-pound gorilla in Real Estate, Metrolist, with ~75% of the entire state's market, has gone green to emulate the action in the Pac NW. Here's a long story short:
http://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profiles/b...
Philly has neighborhoods purchasing solar panels by the pallet, installers reducing their costs and m0oving those panels to slay the outrageous dragons of inefficiency.
In fact, all over this country the notion of improving our energy efficiency has been alive and well for decades. To spit on the idea and call it "Wacko liberalism" is tantamount to shooting one's self in the nose. And you know it!
It's really more about the money than about saving the coastline cities from inundation as Al Gore would film it, though that reality is beginning to creep too.
Sure there will be goofs, market shifts and competition from around the world. But unless and until we grab this energy thing by the ears, we'll be wasting what we are running out of quickly.
John Muir says that conservation is wise use of available resources. Las Vegas is blessed with the best insolation in the world. Why not solar??
Is it because Obama is a donkey, not an elephant, that folks want to belittle the efforts to alter our direction towards conservation??
You have it right, Bob!
This country should have prepared for better energy back in the 70's when we had the energy crisis, but gas was cheap then and nobody prepared.