Phoebe Sweet

Story Archive

A beetle can save our water: But it would have to eat the thirsty tamarisk bush, home of the Southwest willow flycatcher, an endangered species; Sunday, March 23, 2008; Diorhabda elongata is a very picky eater — picky, but voracious. Commonly called the tamarisk leaf beetle after the invasive tree it loves to eat, the tiny insect is the secret weapon against what some biologists have called the worst ecological disaster in the history of the western United States. For the desert population of Southern Nevada, the tamarisk’s worst trait is its thirst. Up and down the Colorado River the tamarisk consumes as much as 325 billion gallons of water a year, according to estimates from the Bureau of Reclamation. That’s more water than the entire population of the Las Vegas Valley uses annually.
Desalination gets a serious look: It isn’t cheap and it requires lots of energy, but fresh water from the ocean might be part of Southern Nevada’s future as other sources dry up; Friday, March 21, 2008; As the West dries up, water managers, politicians and environmental groups alike are searching for an option — any option — to create water.
Convenient gas? Not at any price: Sandy Valley residents say safe water worth more than a local pump; Wednesday, March 19, 2008; Sandy Valley has one bar, three restaurants and five churches for its 2,000 people. What it doesn’t have is a gas station. The nearest pumps are almost 20 miles away in Jean, and some valley residents would like to keep it that way.
Lake’s ghost town seen as a warning: To some, emergence of town’s remains is sign that water poses eternal challenge to Vegas, all of Southwest; Wednesday, March 12, 2008; Water gave birth to the town, and then buried it. Now years of drought combined with the thirst of a burgeoning Las Vegas Valley have forced Lake Mead to give up all of St. Thomas’ silted remains, revealing a past that serves as a cautionary tale.
No small worry: Critics say tiny particles from coal plants, though within limits, pose threats; Friday, March 7, 2008; Opponents of the coal-fired power plants proposed for Nevada say one of the public’s biggest concerns should be the tiny particles that will come out of the plants’ smokestacks. The microscopic particles are produced during combustion by power plants, diesel engines and wood fires, and studies have found they can cause heart attacks, strokes and respiratory diseases. In 1997, the federal Environmental Protection Agency placed limits on the amount of these particles, many times smaller than the width of a human hair, allowed in the air. After five years of courtroom battles, the regulation was upheld in 2002.
St. George to have say on Mesquite coal plant: Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008; Although the Nevada Environmental Protection Division refused to hold a hearing in St. George to hear concerns of residents who say they will be downwind of the proposed coal plant, the Utah Division of Air Quality will.
With aid, more roofs could catch rays: Experts say industry needs to change its approach to alternative energy; Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008; While the Las Vegas Valley’s two large new solar power plants are celebrated as an ideal solution to the nation’s energy needs, the future of solar in Nevada also lies in tapping the sun on a smaller scale — provided the government and the energy industry cooperate.
Gibbons takes another whack at pipeline plan: Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008; During a nearly 45-minute speech to the Fallon Rotary Club on Tuesday, Gov. Jim Gibbons proposed using desalination as an alternative to building a water pipeline to eastern Nevada, according to the Lahontan Valley News.
Sen. Reid accuses coal industry of using "the old Hitler lie": Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid laid out plans to stimulate the national renewable energy industry during the opening of this week's Renewable Energy World Conference in Las Vegas.
Nevada doesn’t need coal-fired plants, ‘green’ report says: Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008; Nevada’s largest utility could meet the state’s growing energy demand without coal-fired power plants, according to a California environmental group.
Analysts predict no Ely coal-fired power plant (UPDATE): Monday, Feb. 11, 2008; In an interview today, Yackira said the analyst's comments meant to imply that it won't matter to investors whether the company builds the Ely plant, not that the plant won't happen.
Analyst predicts no Ely coal-fired power plant: Monday, Feb. 11, 2008; One Wall Street analyst last week upgraded stock of Sierra Pacific
Resources, Nevada Power's parent company, to "buy."
Surprise! Greens praise a coal plant: Once-notorious Reid Gardner is polluting a lot less than it used to; Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008; Nevada Power has cut the amount of visible soot and smoke from its Reid Gardner stacks by half in each of the past two years, with more to come.
We all need power, but in Mesquite, priority is clean air: Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008; Hundreds of people are expected to rally tonight at Mesquite City Hall in opposition to construction of a coal-fired power plant in nearby Lincoln County, in the latest showdown over Nevada’s energy future.
Coal-fired power developers argue that the increasing energy demands of growing Nevada and the rest of the Southwest make more of their plants necessary.
Reid: Renewables shorted by Bush budget: Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008; President Bush has again chosen to subsidize coal and nuclear power rather than renewable energy, environmental groups protested Tuesday following the release of his $25 billion federal Energy Department budget.
Bush’s last budget request as president includes $1.4 billion to promote new nuclear power plants, $9.1 billion to safeguard the nation’s nuclear weapons arsenal and $1.1 billion to research technology that reduces greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired plants.
Another black mark for coal: Monday, Feb. 4, 2008
More help urged for ‘green’ energy: Environmentalists: Proposed routes for power lines favor coal; Monday, Jan. 28, 2008; Almost lost in the public debate over coal-fired power versus renewable energy is how to get both kinds of power from the plants where it’s produced to the cities where it’s used.
Reid: Coal industry promoting disinformation: Friday, Jan. 25, 2008
Top Dems all sign pledges on clean energy: Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008; Nevada will benefit from the election of one of the three leading Democratic candidates for president because of their commitment to renewable energy, environmentalists say.
Energy CEO: Allow coal, for the Strip's sake: Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008
Coal plant debate intensifies: In Ely, feelings about the environment and the economy overwhelm the agenda; Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008; More than 200 people turned out for a public meeting in Ely this month to alternately laud and condemn the construction of a coal-fired power plant, which was proposed by the state’s biggest utility company.
Clinton carries Bellagio: Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008
Coal power plants opposed: Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008
Common cause: dislike of coal: Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008
Find the pollster (UPDATED): Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008
Cost, not coal may be plant's main issue: Friday, Jan. 11, 2008
Expect it to rain less but when it does, watch out: Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008; Residents of the Southwest have heard the refrain that droughts caused by global warming will worsen the region’s already serious water shortage. It also will mean stronger, albeit less frequent, storms.
2008 turns promises ‘green’: More people resolve to do more to help Earth, surveys say; Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008; Breaking with tradition, Americans are vowing this year to reduce waste instead of their waistlines, according to a poll that shows nearly half of Americans have made a “green” New Year's resolution this year.
Nevada steps closer to solar economy: Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007; Nevada steps closer to solar economy
Utilities push to grow but know little about how to keep air clean: Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007; As debate over solutions to global warming rages here and in Congress, carbon jargon has started to fly.
PROGRESS (AT A PRICE): Friday, Dec. 7, 2007; As debate over construction of coal-fired power plants in Nevada rages on and new costs pile up, it remains unclear to regulators, environmentalists and even utility executives how expensive new coal power ultimately will be.
Yucca forum gets loud, rude, does little: Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007; What's happening: A three-judge panel convenes in Vegas to determine whether the U.S. Energy Department has disclosed enough documents about the Yucca Mountain project to the public.
Q+A: Nevada Conservation League Executive Director Scot Rutledge: Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007; The grades are in and Gov. Jim Gibbons is not exactly at the top of his class, but he has skated by with a C- on conservation and environmentalism for his first year in the Statehouse.
Saving wilderness never a done deal: Friday, Nov. 23, 2007; Lovers of Nevada's great outdoors this month celebrated the fifth anniversary of passage of a bill that protected almost half a million acres of public wilderness in Clark County.
Nevada a 'rising star' in renewable energy: Thursday, Nov. 22, 2007; Nevada got some credit for progressive energy policy from environmental groups that urged Congress to follow the example of this state and 20 others in enacting laws and policies that protect people and the planet.
SALES PITCH: A GUILT-FREE SUV: Thursday, Nov. 22, 2007; Picture the new wave in conservation: a tree-hugging, socks-and-Birkenstocks, environmentally friendly ... SUV?
Lack of emissions rules didn't stop Kansas from acting: Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007; Environmentalists call it a watershed moment.
CO2 rules still in the air: Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007; Conspicuously absent from a draft air permit Nevada's Environmental Protection Division approved this week were two words: carbon dioxide.
Groups say save water, don't draw more: Friday, Nov. 2, 2007; The latest attempt to persuade the Southern Nevada Water Authority to abandon its multibillion-dollar plan to pump ground water from rural Nevada to Las Vegas came in a report released Thursday. Once again, water conservation by Las Vegans is being touted as a viable alternative.
Las Vegas: Leader in sustainability?: Monday, Oct. 29, 2007; Perhaps the last place you would look for leadership on sustainability: the city that's a monument to consumerism, a model of urban sprawl, a water-guzzling man-made oasis in a desert.
A PROBLEMATIC THIRST: Friday, Oct. 26, 2007; A PROBLEMATIC THIRST
A PROBLEMATIC THIRST: Monday, Oct. 22, 2007; Turn off the tap, Las Vegas, and save the Great Basin.
Nothing but nature in this calendar: Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2007; Taking his clothes off and appearing in a beefcake calendar didn't scare 39-year-old Todd Kincaid. On the other hand, falling from the Grand Canyon rock outcropping where he posed, in nothing but his climbing shoes and a chalk bag, did.
Industry's new push: Rethink and embrace coal: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007; Click here for a printable graphic.
REID'S WILY POWER PLAY: Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007; From utility executives to environmentalists to politicians, everyone agrees that renewable energy will play a major role in Nevada's future.
Stressed public lands need volunteers more than ever: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007; Last year more than 1 million people visited Red Rock Canyon, a national conservation area near Las Vegas, and each one left a little something behind.
Left high and dry, salmon make powerful friends in Nevada: Friday, Sept. 21, 2007; The fishermen who remember salmon running thick in Northern Nevada's rivers are gone.
Idyllic town, $25 million water bill, unpleasant choice: Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2007; Boulder City always has done its best to remain a small town, the kind of place where the mayor runs a hardware store, the homecoming game is front-page news and new crosswalks on the main drag can stir controversy.
Steam seen as power's future: Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007; The modern-day wildcatters came first, sinking drills into the hills above town, looking not for oil but for hot water.
Gibbons stokes coal-fired plants: Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007; The state's Environmental Protection Division has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, but environmentalists say pressure from Gov. Jim Gibbons to permit three coal-fired power plants before year-end will preempt it from weighing in.