As originally published in the Elko Daily Free Press on April 24, 2018.
Editor:
I would like to commend Senator Dean Heller and Congressman Mark Amodei for ensuring Nevada’s priorities were included in the FY2018 government funding bill, particularly investment in research and development projects that will further innovation in clean energy and energy storage technologies.
Right now, America has a competitive edge on clean energy that will help grow our economy and guarantee a secure energy future. Nevada is a perfect example as it ranked second in the nation in utility-scale net electricity generation from geothermal energy and fifth in utility-scale net generation from solar energy in 2015. The state’s solar industries have already created more than 6,500 jobs so far, which is very promising since job growth nationwide in this sector is increasing at a rate 12 times faster than the rest of the economy.
We need to work to maintain those advantages, and the funding Senator Heller and Congressman Amodei promoted is a great step. And as Republicans, their advocacy is consistent with conservative principles because clean energy has proven to be cost-effective and reliably deliver returns on investment. I appreciate their commitment to commonsense solutions to meeting our nation’s growing energy demand.
Heather Reams
Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions