Here’s a current look at Las Vegas’s climate situation and local energy transition. This is for everyone in the Las Vegas Valley.
1.0 How climate change is impacting Las Vegas
2.0 Climate change projections for Las Vegas
3.0 Progress on Las Vegas’s Local Energy Transition
4.0 City of Las Vegas & Clark County leadership
5.0 Politicians on the climate in Las Vegas
6.0 Climate Organizations in Las Vegas
7.0 Las Vegas students & educators working on climate
1.0 How Climate Change is Impacting Las Vegas
The Impacts of Water Scarcity
The climate’s most difficult impact on Las Vegas is low water supply
Las Vegas Valley’s water supply is shrinking rapidly. The Valley gets 90% of its water from Lake Mead, which is supplied by snowmelt from upstream mountains. Changing weather patterns (caused by the warming atmosphere) are making snow more scarce. This means much less snowmelt to supply the lake with water for Las Vegas Valley’s over two million people. Above, Lake Mead’s lighter-colored rock walls show where the water level was in 2000.
Current: Q4 2022
lvvwd.com/water-system/where-your-water-comes-from/index.h
photo: Mark Henle Arizona Republic meme: localclimate.org
The big lake that is Las Vegas’ water supply wants to be a small pond
With decades of tenacious drought and negligible upstream snow, Lake Mead is at its lowest level in all its ninety years. In 2022, the US declared the nation’s first-ever water shortage emergency. The declaration covers the vast lower Colorado River basin, and its timeline is indefinite. Millions of people in Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego, Coachella Valley, and parts of the Los Angeles region will receive less water. The farmlands of southern California will also have to get by on less water.
Current: Q4 2022
nbcnews.com/science/environment/lake-mead-nears-dead-pool-status-water-levels-hit-another-historic-low-rcna34733
azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/joannaallhands/2022/06/08/why-no-planning-future-without-lake-mead-colorado-river/7544751001/
Image: Ethan Miller, meme: Local Climate.org
Impacts of High Heat
Las Vegas & Reno’s rapidly growing heat islands make these cities the fastest warming in the US.
Average temps have gone up 5.8˚ in Las Vegas and 7.6˚ in Reno since 1970. The science team at Climate Central calculated the changing climates of 246 US cities, and found that Las Vegas and Reno are warming faster than every other city in the US. The whole Southwest US region’s climate is changing, with Phoenix and El Paso also getting roasty. It’s not too surprising though… these cities are rapidly building out their urban heat islands, absorbing heat during the day, and slowly releasing it at night. Much of the temperature rise in these cities come from warming overnight temps.
Current: Q4 2022
climatecentral.org/climate-matters/earth-day-trends (2021)
Health impacts of higher heat in Las Vegas include heart attacks, and death for people who live outside.
Millions of Las Vegans live seemingly normal lives during long-lasting extreme heatwaves – as long as they stay inside refrigerated buildings and vehicles most of the day. The lives of Las Vegas’s 14,000+ unsheltered residents are not at all normal though, when it’s over 100˚ outside. Above, a man with his home on his back gets a quick cool-down on the Las Vegas strip during a June 2021 heatwave.
Current: Q4 2022
lasvegassun.com/news/2021/jun/16/stay-safe-from-heat-as-the-sizzling-las-vegas-summ/ image: Christopher DeVargas meme: localclimate.org
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13762-019-02357-9
Wait, what? My neighborhood gets hotter than the hottest desert in North America?
Las Vegas’s hot climate trend is aggravating the city’s “heat island effect.” Urbanized areas are hotter than their natural surroundings because streets, parking lots and buildings absorb and hold onto the sun’s heat, even well into the night. Las Vegas has very wide streets and roads compared to older cities, and this makes its heat island effect that much more severe.
Current: Q4 2022
statesatrisk.org/nevada/all
Impacts from Wildfire
Wildfire smoke is harsh on Las Vegans’ health, and climate-induced mega fires have become a regular thing.
More and more often, Las Vegans are finding themselves downwind from climate-exacerbated wildfires. The huge fires cause brown skies and breathing discomfort even for people who don’t have respiratory illnesses. The paved-over Las Vegas Valley itself is relatively safe from wildfire But the city is fringed on the west by drought-dried shrub lands and pine forest, as ready to burn as those in California.
Current: Q3 2022
Image: Steven Scott
Impacts from Flooding
Biblical downpours and flash floods in Las Vegas are happening more often.
Heavy monsoon storms flash-flooded the Las Vegas Strip in Summer 2022 – twice. Streets became raging rivers, two people died, casinos were damaged, and 17,000 people lost electricity. Planners know the strip has a history of heavy flooding – once every couple decades. The Strip after all, is situated at the very bottom of the Valley. However…
Current: Q4 2022
Stronger flood resiliency in Las Vegas is a must.
Engineering-wise, the 2022 Las Vegas flooding was preventable. Now that climate change is well upon us, monsoonal rain bombs are becoming a regular part of Las Vegas’s climate. The Valley’s water retention / drainage system must now be made to provide climate-resilient performance.
Current: Q3 2022
text: localclimate.org
image: #tornadotitans youtube.com/watch?v=wMIN3zGxqhY
historic image: wassupinlasvegas.com
Impacts on Biodiversity
Las Vegas area biodiversity, with plants and animals found nowhere else on earth, may not survive the region’s drying climate and wildfires.
The Mountain Charleston Blue Butterfly became an endangered species in August 2013, when wildfire burned 27,000+ acres in the Spring Mountains above Las Vegas. The fire burned much of the blue butterfly’s habitat, along with most of the butterflies. The region’s unprecedented drought has kept the butterfly’s remaining mountain meadow habitat dry and more fire prone.
Current: Q4 2022
npr.org/2013/07/23/204865648/nevada-wildfire-could-snuff-out-a-rare-butterfly
image: Corey Kallstrom/USFWS
The Las Vegas Bear Poppy grew all across the Las Vegas Valley before the great sprawl of the 1990s. Then the atmosphere heated up…
…but now it’s limited to just a few populations east of the city. Sprawl and off-road motor sports destroyed most the poppy’s desert habitat, and climate change is diminishing the rest. The region’s drier atmosphere is causing a life-cycle disruption between the Las Vegas Bear Poppy and it’s pollinators. This local native plant has dropped in number across nearly 90% of its remaining habitat.
Current: Q4 2022
biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/rare-southern-nevada-wildflower-bee-one-step-closer-to-endangered-species-protections-2022-04-26/
Image: Tiffany Pereira, UNLV
2.0 Climate Change Projections for Nevada & the Las Vegas Valley
Temperatures in Las Vegas (and Nevada) will continue to rise over the years and decades.
Heat waves* will happen more often, with greater severity. The number of extremely hot** days and warm nights will increase. Extremely high temperatures will become more and more dangerous to people’s physical and mental health, to the water supply, the electrical grid, and ecosystems.
In winter, precipitation will continue to shift from mountain snow to free-flowing rain during the winter. When snow does occur, it will melt quickly, earlier and earlier in the spring and winter Flooding will happen more often because rain is coming down all-at-once during voluminous storms, rather than spread more evenly through the year.
Current: Q4 2022
Note: This is a brief summary of the Executive Summary of “Climate Change in Nevada,” a report written as part of Nevada’s State Climate Initiative. The full report is available on the Nevada Climate Initiative website, ClimateAction.nv.gov
* heatwaves are three or more extremely hot days in a row. ** in Las Vegas, statistically, extremely hot begins at 105˚
extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=3957 (University of Nevada Reno 2021)
naes.agnt.unr.edu/PMS/Pubs/2021-3957.pdf (University of Nevada Reno 2021)
The impacts of extreme heatwaves in Las Vegas are misery for some, and ridiculous energy bills for others.
Weeklong Hellish Heatwaves are becoming a new normal in Las Vegas. During these events, city air temps drop below 90,˚ finally, at 4 or 5 in the morning. As soon as the sun is up, the heat quickly climbs back up past 110˚
This daily temperature rhythm in the Las Vegas Summertime has been a feature of the high Mojave Desert for eons, but over these past couple decades these intense heatwaves are happening more often, and average 6˚ hotter than they were in 1970.
In 2022, heat-holding carbon emissions are increasing globally, not decreasing. So the atmosphere over Las Vegas (and everywhere) will continue to get hotter.
Current: Q4 2022
weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=vef
image: fox5vegas.com/weather/
It’s not just the scientists… long-time locals will tell you Las Vegas’s heat season is lasting much longer.
Las Vegas’s heat season will keep getting longer because carbon in the atmosphere continues to accumulate. In the 2000s, temps were dangerously hot in Las Vegas (over 105˚) for a total 2.7 months each year. By 2050, dangerous heat days will last 3.5 months each year.
Current: Q4 2022
statesatrisk.org/nevada/all
graphic: climatecentral.org
Bullhead City is what Las Vegas’s climate will feel like in the 2080s
Bullhead City’s climate is migrating to Las Vegas. To get an idea of what the climate will be like in Las Vegas several decades from now, climate researchers at University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science averaged the results of 27 supercomputer climate models. Las Vegas’s changed climate in the 2080s will feel (on average) 8°F hotter and 27% drier …like the climate of low-desert Bullhead City, Arizona in the 2020s.
Current: Q3 2022
data tool: fitzlab.shinyapps.io/cityapp/ by University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
graphic: LocalClimate.org
What’s the hottest Las Vegas has ever gotten? How hot can it get?
Las Vegas reached its record high temp of 117˚ four times since records from Harry Reid Airport began in 1950. In 70+ years at the airport, the temp rose to 117˚ only in the last 20 years (July 19, 2005, June 30, 2013, July 21, 2017, July 10, 2021). As even more heat accumulates in the atmosphere (from burning coal and gas), scientists project that temps above 110˚ will be occurring much more often in Southern Nevada, going forward.
Current: Q4 2022
reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/las-vegas-hottest-june-ends-with-a-117-degree-high-tying-the-record/
weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=vef
3.0 Current Progress on Las Vegas’s Local Energy Transition
How will you know if Las Vegas’s energy transition is moving forward with quality and quickness? This section highlights Las Vegas’s progress toward 100% clean energy, across all local sectors and communities. Check back here periodically, and keep up with Las Vegas’s current progress on its Great Energy Transition.
3.1 Clark County’s greenhouse gas inventories measure progress on the local energy transition
Yes really. The Las Vegas region has been spewing more carbon than the City of Los Angeles
At 29 million tons of carbon emissions in 2019, residents, businesses and visitors in the Las Vegas region spewed more carbon than the City of Los Angeles did (25 million tons in 2018) …and a bit less than the City of Chicago (31 million tons in 2017).
Clark County’s greenhouse gas inventories help local communities measure progress on the local energy transition. Buildings, transportation, and methane power plants account for most greenhouse gas emissions in Clark County. These are the sectors where effort must be focused.
Current: Q3 2022
Regional Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report: clarkcountynv.gov/Environmental Sustainability/Sustainability/CC_GHG_FINAL_HR.pdf?t=1658872486616
clarkcountynv.gov/government/departments/environment_and_sustainability/public_communications/20220217ghgreport.php Note: tons = metric tons
3.1 NV Energy is Southern Nevada’s only electric utility, and its at the core of Las Vegas’s energy transition
Right now, where is Las Vegas sourcing its electricity? How much of it is clean? When will our seven local carbon-spewing power plants finally be retired?
Seven gas-fired power plants make most of Las Vegas’s electricity, and they spew millions of tons of heat-holding carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. These plants are operated by NVEnergy, the local electric utility. NVEnergy has a monopoly on electricity production and delivery in Las Vegas, but it’s required by the Nevada Public Utilities Commission to diversify how that electricity is made.
While NV Energy currently reveals no plans to stop burning methane gas, it does have 26 solar energy projects already in operation or coming on-line by 2024. But folks in Las Vegas need to know definite shut-down dates for NVEnergy’s gas-fired power plants.
Current: Q4 2022
nvenergy.com/about-nvenergy/our-company/power-supply
nvenergy.com/cleanenergy/renewable-energy-portfolio
photo: NVEnergy meme: localclimate.org
The most powerful solar farm in the United States will begin supplying a massive amount of electricity to the Las Vegas Valley in late 2023
Gemini Solar Project is under construction, and will begin generating electricity in late 2023. Gemini will rank among of the world’s largest solar power plants, making enough electricity to power 400,000 homes in Southern Nevada. The giant solar array 33 miles north of Las Vegas will displace 1.5 million tons of CO2 each year, and could theoretically make it possible to reduce the amount of methane gas NVEnergy will have to burn to meet Las Vegas Valley’s electricity demand.
Twin Bonus: Gemini’s utility-scale batteries will hold enough solar-made electricity to boost it’s supply to the grid during hours of extreme heat – when millions of air conditioners in the region are running full blast.
Current: Q4 2022
quinbrook.com/quinbrook-project/gemini/
canarymedia.com/articles/solar/largest-solar-power-plant-in-us-closes-on-1-3-billion-dollar-financing
3.2 Drivers in Las Vegas + and the local energy transition
Are we there yet? Not even close. But Las Vegas is making some progress toward 100% electric vehicle use.
Electric Vehicle (EV) registrations in Southern Nevada (the Las Vegas Valley and surrounding desert towns) saw a 133% jump during the pandemic. Now, it’s not uncommon to see EVs on the streets of Las Vegas. On the I-15 or US 95, you may notice the car whizzing past you at breakneck speed (typical in Las Vegas) is a Tesla. Still, the 10,700 EVs on the road in the Las Vegas region in January 2022 is only 0.89% of the estimated 1,200,000+ it will take to achieve a complete transition to EVs.
Current: Q4 2022
reviewjournal.com/news/news-columns/road-warrior/going-green-nevada-sees-jump-in-electric-vehicle-registrations-2525581/ (February 8, 2022)
There are many more places to charge your electric vehicle in Las Vegas than just a few years ago. Many more scheduled.
Las Vegas Valley is making faster progress on charge stations than on electric vehicles themselves. This is good, to be prepared for when local EV adoption starts to accelerate. As of July 2022, the Las Vegas Valley has 807 public charge stations. This is a big jump from June 2020 when the Valley had 445 charge stations, and less than 100 in 2015. Right now, these stations are a fraction compared to gas stations in Las Vegas region, but their distribution across the urban landscape is starting to fill in.
In 2022, you’ll find corridors of charge stations on The Strip, in Downtown Las Vegas, around the Spring Valley part of the 215 Beltway, and on Auto Row in Henderson. Vast areas of the Las Vegas Valley have very few public charging stations though, notably North Las Vegas, Centennial Hills, and the Valley’s east side.
Current: Q4 2022
plugshare.com/directory/us/nevada/las-vegas-henderson-paradise#:~:text=The%20city%20of%20Las%20Vegas,of%20which%20are%20Tesla%20Superchargers.
3.3 Las Vegas industries & businesses leading the local energy transition
The Largest Solar Rooftop in Las Vegas (and in Nevada) sits atop Mandalay Bay Convention Center
Las Vegas’s (and Nevada’s) Largest Solar Rooftop (2022) sits atop the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, on the Las Vegas strip. In 2021, it was the 4th-largest solar rooftop in the United States. Mandalay’s rooftop power station ties into MGM Resorts’ intra-property electricity grid, which operates independently of NVEnergy’s pay-wall power grid.
Current: Q4 2022
list.solar/plants/largest-plants/rooftop-pv/
photo: MGM Resorts meme: Local Climate
Now, much of the iconic Las Vegas Strip is powered by solar energy
MGM Resorts electrifies it’s thirteen Las Vegas mega-resorts (Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, Aria, Vdara, Luxor… ) from it’s 640-acre solar array in the desert outside Las Vegas. Activated in June 2021, the 100-megawatt “MGM Resorts Mega Solar Array” powers 90% of daytime electric use in the company’s 36,000 guest rooms, and 800+ acres of casinos, shopping, restaurants, and large event spaces.
Current: Q4 2022
forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2021/06/29/mgm-resorts-doubles-down-on-las-vegas-solar-power/?sh=fb4b8e470ae4
photo: CoStar
Las Vegas’s resort industry is cutting emissions in other industries too
Caesar’s Entertainment will be influential across the new energy economy because it contractually enjoins its supply chain to set ambitious clean energy goals. The giant Las Vegas-based resort chain will cut its own emission by 35% in 2025 and 100% before 2050 (from a 2011 baseline).
Current: Q4 2022
caesars.com/corporate/corporate-social-responsibility/planet/environmental-management
meme: localclimate.org
FedEx in Las Vegas set 17 years (until 2040) as the time it will take for its trucks to become carbon “neutral.”
FedEx Las Vegas is getting part of the global corporation’s $2 billion that will start making its local operations carbon-neutral. ⏣ This article is a stub for you to develop
Current: Q4 2022
source:
Bezos’ Las Vegas operations are swiftly delivering net-zero carbon.
Amazon is the industry leader in the speed and scale of an extra-large business’s energy transition. Amazon’s 400,000 feet of distribution space in Las Vegas’s will be 100% electric / 0% carbon by 2025. All 200 Amazon delivery vans will be electric by 2027. ⏣ This article is a stub for you to develop.
Current: Q4 2022
source:
3.x Las Vegas area military bases are pioneers of the local energy transition.
Nellis Air Force Base makes enough solar electricity to power everything on the ground during the day. Jet fuel at the base will have to be part of the “net” in net zero.
Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas’s local military installation, set up an on-site photovoltaic array that powers all its ground operations’ daytime electric demand. Night time electricity comes from NVEnergy’s grid. Nellis installed its first small array early in the energy transition (2007) and added 102 acres of panels in 2015. Nellis is now the model for deploying solar at US bases across the world.
Current: Q4 2022
af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/558474/afs-largest-solar-array-celebrates-first-anniversary/
reviewjournal.com/business/energy/15-megawatt-solar-project-starts-at-nellis-air-force-base/
3.x Is Clark County School District’s energy transition a smart one?
3.x Las Vegas Metropolitan cops are cleaning up their carbon emissions.
3.x Valley Hospitals
3.x American Medical Response (ambulances)
3.x Big commercial properties, malls
3.x Sports Venues
4.0 Local Government Leadership on Climate Change
How well is your city, county, and other local authorities doing about the climate?
In this section, you can track what the municipalities of the Las Vegas region are doing to stop their carbon spew and build climate resiliency. In 2022, the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Mesquite, Boulder City and Laughlin are showing varying degrees of leadership on emissions and resiliency policy. Some of these municipalities are doing an admirable job, while others are barely getting started.
The City of Las Vegas sources ALL of its electricity from clean energy
The City of Las Vegas’s work on cutting carbon emissions won Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman an award back in 2014 (The US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Award), but she hasn’t said much about climate, emissions or resiliency for many years. Action speaks louder than words though, and in 2022, Goodman and her city council have long since electrified all Las Vegas municipal operations (141 buildings, 57 parks, 27,000 streetlights., 275 vehicles,) with clean energy – mostly solar. This is an extraordinary achievement compared to hundreds of other large municipalities back in the early 2010s.
🇲🇦 Red flag. City of Las Vegas website hasn’t reported on the City’s energy sources or emissions since 2016. Is the City sustaining zero municipal emissions six years later (2022)?
Current: Q4 2022
lasvegassun.com/news/2014/jun/20/las-vegas-wins-us-conference-mayors-award-green-in/ photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
lasvegasnevada.gov/Government/Initiatives/Sustainability/Sustainability-Resources?tab=0
Las Vegas does NOT have a dedicated Climate Action Plan.
But the Las Vegas 2050 Master Plan does set a goal of 50% renewable energy for the whole community’s electricity by 2030, and 100% by 2050. Most cities in the US have a gold-standard, municipal Climate Action Plan. Abiding by a separate plan for climate change emphasizes its importance in the public and political mind.
Some cities incorporate their carbon reduction and resiliency intentions within the pages of their Master Plans which may dilute their functional coherency. Which is better? Should Las Vegans have their own dedicated Climate Action Plan?
Current: Q4 2022
database.aceee.org/city/las-vegas-nv
graphic: localclimate.org
No carbon is burnt to electrify Las Vegas City Hall.
The City of Las Vegas has been getting most of its electricity from a solar array in nearby Boulder City, Nevada. The rest comes from the City’s on-site solar installations, like those at City Hall, and the solar-covered parking lots at 40+ city properties. City-owned evehicle charging stations are open to the public at City Hall, city office buildings, parks, and city garages.
Current: Q4 2022
lasvegasnevada.gov/Government/Initiatives/Sustainability/Sustainability-Resources?tab=0
cityoflasvegas.tumblr.com/post/154385263383/mayor-announces-city-power-comes-from-100
Note: The City has not updated online info about City carbon emissions or resiliency since 2016. photo: City of Las Vegas
First talked about way back in 2008, Las Vegas is now started (2022) on its Tree Initiative
Las Vegas residents in areas east of Maryland Parkway are paying higher energy bills and having more heat-related health issues. The area’s almost non-existent tree canopy creates extra-hot areas of the already hot urban heat island. So, in April 2022, the City and its non-profit partner Nevada Community Foundation kicked off its long-awaited “Las Vegas Tree Initiative.” The public-private partnership planted an initial batch of 250 park-ready trees. The City will plant 60,000 trees across the city, with emphasis on the east side, by 2050.
Current: Q4 2022
nevadacurrent.com/2022/04/29/tree-planting-program-launched-to-mitigate-a-severe-las-vegas-heat-island-effect/
bestneighborhood.org/best-neighborhoods-east-las-vegas-las-vegas-nv/
Clark County is set to publish its community-wide Climate Action Plan
Clark County started using its internal Sustainability and Climate Action Plan in 2021. The plan focuses on carbon reduction and resiliency in Clark County government’s internal operations, including county vehicles, county buildings, and county infrastructure. In late 2022, the county’s community-wide Climate Action Plan will include groups and industries beyond county government.
Current: Q4 2022
clarkcountynv.gov/government/departments/environment_and_sustainability/sustainability/all-in_clark_county/all-in_overview.php
Clark County’s Climate Advisory Group includes citizen and enviro groups in the climate planning process
Clark County Sustainability and Climate Advisory Group brings everyone’s input about the County Climate Action Plan. It’s a diverse panel of community-based organizations, sustainability groups, technical experts, industry, plus local and state agencies. The group meets several times to provide feedback on each stage of the planning process.
Current: Q4 2022
screenshot: m.facebook.com/SustainClarkCounty/videos/all-in-clark-county-sustainability-climate-advisory-group-meeting-2/478828133615350/
Paying little attention to the climate, City of Henderson ranks LAST among cities in the US Southwest
You might think Henderson’s local leadership would be influenced by neighboring Las Vegas’s above-average progress on the energy-transition. Think again. ⏣ This article is a stub for you to develop.
Current: Q4 2022
youtube.com/watch?v=o7rTIf-GT5Q
image: City of Henderson meme: localclimate.org
5.0 These are the Politicians representing Las Vegas on Climate & Energy
All five federal politicians representing the Las Vegas area (two US senators and three US representatives) have been consistent supporters of US legislation on climate change and clean energy. Local politicians in Nevada’s Senate and Assembly are divided along party lines on climate and energy initiatives.
Current: Q4 2022
Senator Cortez Masto helped secure zero-emissions transportation funding for Las Vegas
New zero-emissions busses, three of them, will soon make their rounds in Las Vegas. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto supported the southern Nevada’s Regional Transportation Commission’s (RTC’s) 2022 request for a federal grant to pay for zero-emissions buses. The $4.8 million grant will help RTC reach its goal of a fully electrified fleet of buses by 2035. The grant will also pay for solar-powered lighting at 250 Las Vegas area bus stops.
Current: Q4 2022
@CortezMasto and @SenCortezMasto on twitter
cortezmasto.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cortez-masto-announces-48-million-for-clean-buses-energy-efficient-lighting-at-250-bus-stops
Senator Jackie Rosen wanted to trump Trump on the Paris Climate Agreement
Senator Jackie Rosen co-sponsored the proposed International Climate Accountability Act which would have reversed former President Trump’s withdrawal of the US from the UN’s Paris Climate Agreement. The 2019 bill stalled in a Senate committee, but Rosen has supported all other climate and clean energy legislation. Rosen is a member of the bipartisan Senate Climate Caucus.
Current: Q4 2022
@SenJackyRosen and @RosenforNevada on twitter
congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1743
Dina Titus ALWAYS stands up for Las Vegas on climate and energy in the US Congress
Dina Titus had supported 2021’s proposed Build Back Better Act (BBBA), which included ambitious clean energy investments, cut emissions and addressed issues of environmental justice. BBBA didn’t succeed for political reasons, but Titus pushed Congress to include BBBA’s clean energy provisions in the ultimately successful 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. In the 2020 election, the Natural Resources Defense Council endorsed Titus as a “Climate Champion.”
Current: Q4 2022
nevadaconservationleague.org/congresswoman-titus-joins-nevada-elected-officials-and-clean-energy-advocates-say-its-time-to-address-extreme-weather-and-invest-in-clean-energy-to-protect-las-vegas-economy/
@repdinatitus and @dinatitus on twitter
US Representative Steven Horsford alway supports climate and clean energy bills
You don’t see US Rep Steven Horsford’s campaign mailers touting his interest in the climate or energy. But in Congress, Horsford tackles the climate with his 100% voting record on the environment (per League of Conservation Voters) and his introduction of electric grid legislation.
In the 2019-20 Congress, he helped pass the “Clean Energy Jobs Act” which would have started a nationwide program for energy-related job training. Horsford, along with fellow Rep. Susie Lee, introduced the 2021 Electric Power Infrastructure Improvement Act. The Act would create a federal transmission investment tax credit (ITC) to help modernize the electric grid for clean energy transmission.
Current: Q4 2022
horsford.house.gov/about/about-steven
horsford.house.gov/media/press-releases/horsford-heinrich-lee-introduce-bicameral-bill-to-build-a-more-resilient-reliable-21st-century-electric-grid
@RepHorsford on Twitter
Susie Lee represents Las Vegas on climate and energy in the US Congress
US Rep Susie Lee introduced the 2021 Electric Power Infrastructure Improvement Act, and a water recycling bill. ⏣ This article is a stub for you to develop.
Current: Q4 2022
@SusieLeeNV on twitter
Heidi Kasama speaks for Summerlin (Las Vegas) on saying “No” to climate and energy in the Nevada Assembly
Heidi Kasama decided to vote against Nevada’s landmark clean energy legislation, SB488. Kasama was concerned that SB488’s clean energy tax credits, hundreds of new charging stations, and a modernized electric grid would hurt Nevada’s economy. The Nevada Assembly and Senate approved the $641 million energy package and Governor Steve Sisolak signed it into law in June 2021.
Current: Q4 2022
nevadaconservationleague.org/nevada-conservation-league-applauds-passage-of-major-clean-energy-bill-in-nevada/
@heidikasamanv on twitter
Chris Brooks from Las Vegas is the state’s most accomplished clean energy leader in the Nevada Senate
Chris Brooks authored and pushed game-changing 2021 legislation making it easier for large businesses with their own clean electric grid to quit their local electric company. Brooks’ comprehensive 2021 legislation on clean energy (SB448) is a giant leap for the state’s great energy transition. SB448 gives Nevada a) an electricity grid optimized for clean energy, b) hundreds of new EV charge stations, and c) an 80% reduction in electric utilities’ carbon emissions by 2030, and more.
A self-described “energy nerd,” Brooks is a certified photovoltaic installer, and has been a solar and utility executive since the early 2000s. Great credential for your Congressperson to have, if you’re having anxiety over climate change.
Current: Q4 2022
* from 2005 levels
thenevadaindependent.com/article/dem-chris-brooks-resigning-from-state-senate-moving-to-private-sector
justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/169534/chris-brooks
@LVchrisbrooks on twitter
6.0 Can Southern Nevada’s Energy Transition be Considered Just?
US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited Las Vegas in May 2022 to reveal major new policies that will make it easier for companies to site clean energy projects on public land.
Haaland spoke at an NVEnergy roundtable with energy industry officials and US Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and US Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada. Haaland says the Biden Administration has made tribal consultation “a complete priority,” and that “tribes deserve to be engaged at the front side of everything, not after decisions are being made.”
Current: Q4 2022
image: @SecDebHaaland on Twitter
7.0 The Climate Organizations of Las Vegas
Las Vegas’s climate community can help you get active in the niche you’re good at
Right now, Las Vegas is covered by a diversity of climate-focused orgs that address just about every aspect of the local climate situation. See if one of these groups speaks to your desire to do something about the changing climate.
Citizens Climate Lobby Las Vegas communicates with Las Vegas-based elected federal officials
Citizens Climate Lobby Las Vegas communicates with Las Vegas-based elected federal officials about one essential federal climate policy: Placing an escalating fee on carbon fuels at the industrial level, and returning the proceeds to every American as a dividend. We have friendly meetings with Las Vegas’s D.C. politicos, and we educate the community at public events and in the local media. Here’s a recent editorial in the Las Vegas Sun by our own Rita Ransom. @ccl_lasvegas on Twitter
Current: Q4 2022
image: twitter: @ccl_lasvegas
Climate Reality Las Vegas is our local chapter of Former Vice President Al Gore’s global Climate Reality Project.
The group hosted a Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training in Las Vegas on June 11-13, 2022. Mr. Gore’s team worked with and offered ongoing support to 400+ trainees at the solar-powered Aria Resort. Climate Reality Leaders bring climate advocacy, education, justice and political will to each of their local communities. Reach out at instagram.com/climatevegas/ and climaterealitylasvegas.com/
Current: Q4 2022
image: climaterealitylasvegas.com/
CHISPA.
of the League of Conservation Voters
Current: Q4 2022
image: climaterealitylasvegas.com/
Nevada Conservation League
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Current: Q4 2022
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Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition
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Current: Q4 2022
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Sunrise Vegas had great turnout and visibility during their pre-pandemic climate strikes.
Sunrise Movement’s Las Vegas Hub promotes strong climate change policy at all levels of government. In a February 2022 op-ed in the Nevada Independent, the local group’s co-founder, Dexter Lim, berated Nevada’s federal leaders who failed to support the Green New Deal. @SunriseMvmtLV
Current: Q4 2022
twitter.com/SunriseMvmtLV/status/1511905874909958144?cxt=HHwWgMCs_b-Yr_spAAAA
Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association lets local folks test drive electric vehicles.
Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association held test drive events at Lorenzi Park in April 2022 and at Springs Reserve in June 2022. Local residents learn about charging up an electric vehicle, and about incentives for purchasing one.
Current: Q4 2022
lasvegaseva.org
Extinction Rebellion Las Vegas is looking for creative people
Extinction Rebellion Las Vegas wants to stage visually dramatic performance art to make people understand the urgency of climate change and biodiversity loss. Extinction Rebellion gets regular media attention in the UK and EU. Here in Las Vegas, we’re looking for clever folks with a flair for street drama. Give us a holler! @LvRebellion
Current: Q4 2022
instagram.com/xrvegas/?hl=en
8.0 Las Vegas Educators and Students working on Climate
UNLV physics professor George Rhee is helping Nevada (and the world) get ahead of climate change with his online calculator for projecting Nevada’s fossil fuel demand out to 2050. Rhee’s algorithms use a range of variables (like how much clean energy will be brought online, what kind, and when) to reveal an interesting set of climate/societal outcomes.
Current: Q4 2022
unlv.edu/news/release/quick-take-numbers-tell-story-climate-change photo by R. Marsh Starks/UNLV Creative Services
9.0 These are the People in Las Vegas showing Great Climate Leadership
After performing minor-miracles with Southern Nevada’s water supply, Mulroy is now guru of climate adaptation policy at UNLV.
Pat Mulroy secured the water supply Las Vegas has right now with the billion dollar “third drinking straw” that sips the bottom waters of Lake Mead. Mulroy was a master of resource negotiations from 1989 to 2014 when she simultaneously headed the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Las Vegas Water District. Now, in the US Southwest’s third decade of drought, Mulroy is certain that Las Vegas needs to switch from dwindling river water to desalinized ocean water.
Current: Q4 2022
knpr.org/knpr/2022-05/former-southern-nevada-water-authority-chief-very-worried-about-lake-mead-level
law.unlv.edu/faculty/pat-mulroy
What’s key to excellent corporate governance in the 2020s? Having a global climate expert on your board of directors!
Rose McKinney-James has a long career in sustainability that includes heading a solar technology company, and serving on the Nevada Public Utilities Commission. Her role on MGM Resorts’ board of directors is to oversee one of the most successful private Climate Action Plans in Las Vegas.
Current: Q4 2022
ceres.org/about-us/ceres-presidents-council/rose-mckinney-james
What’s your local climate and energy situation?
Don’t despair. Thousands of people in Las Vegas are already moving forward on their part of the Great Energy Transition. More people like you can save civilization and life on Earth from a permanently unlivable atmosphere.
LocalClimate.org is keeping you current on Las Vegas Valley’s changing climate and energy transition. Visit here and watch your community’s progress on reaching net zero carbon emissions and full electrification. And get active on climate and energy in any way you can!