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Solar power project threatens prime desert tortoise habitat, conservationists warn
Several conservation groups are asking the federal government to cancel a proposed utility-scale solar energy development, arguing the project will cause significant impacts to the imperiled Mojave desert tortoise. If approved, the Rough Hat Clark County Solar Project proposed by Spain-based Candela Renewables would span 2,400 acres of public land in the Mojave Desert about […]
Lithium Americas to get massive federal loan to develop Thacker Pass mine
The U.S. government offered Canada-based Lithium Americas a financial lifeline Thursday to develop a Nevada lithium deposit that contains the largest-proven lithium reserves in North America. Citing a need to secure a domestic supply of lithium for electric car batteries, the Biden administration agreed to provide a $2.26 billion conditional loan for the construction of […]
March blizzard strands vehicles, and saves Nevada winter
Powerful storm activity throughout the Sierra Nevada in early March changed the water supply outlook for Nevada in a matter of days, according to federal resource managers. Following a four-day blizzard that started on Leap Day, snowpack percentages in the eastern Sierra — a major water source for the Truckee River — jumped by a […]
Colorado River basin states pitch two alternative plans
After months of tense discussion over the future of the Colorado River, western states that depend on the river’s water submitted two competing plans for how it should be managed in the long-term on Wednesday. Current guidelines for managing the river expire at the end of 2026. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will now consider […]
Popular locally grown food program needs more funding, food banks tell legislators
Despite Nevada’s status as the driest state in the union, the state is home to 3,400 farms that produce everything from cattle to dairy and tomatoes to coffee. Now thanks to a bill passed at the height of the pandemic in 2021, Nevada has purchased and distributed about 2.3 million pounds of locally sourced food […]
Impacts of court groundwater decision still a long way off, top water regulator tells lawmakers
After years of groundwater decline and failed legislative action, a court decision in January affirmed the state’s right to limit groundwater pumping using the most current scientific data, but full implementation of the ruling may take some time. Last week, the state engineer — Nevada’s top water regulator — expanded on how the state will […]
Lawmakers need statewide lithium plan, says conservation group
There are more than 80 lithium projects proposed on Nevada’s public lands as the nation races to power the green energy transition. Now conservation groups are looking to state lawmakers to establish a rule-making process that would help reduce the establishment of mines in areas of greatest conflict. Despite a growing interest in lithium mining, […]
February’s atmospheric river doesn’t compensate for dry January
A strong Pacific storm system brought flooding rains to California and heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada, but drought concerns continue for Nevada as persistent dry and warm temperatures cut into the state’s snowpack. February brought the first atmospheric river of the winter into the Sierra, and while the storm system improved conditions significantly it […]
Tiny rare snail in Nevada inches toward ESA listing
A tiny rare Nevada snail just inched closer to being listed as an endangered or threatened species after federal wildlife managers found that protection for the species may be warranted. Following a three month review, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that an in-depth status review of the Kings River pyrg— a small […]
Nevada Republican Party caucus goes exactly as Nevada Republican Party planned: Trump wins
Nevada’s confusing and chaotic moment in the nation’s presidential nomination process came to its inevitable end Thursday, with former President Donald Trump winning the Nevada Republican caucus, two days after a symbolic victory in a state-run primary. The Associated Press called the caucus for Trump on Thursday night shortly after 8 p.m. with only a […]
‘None of these candidates’ embarrasses Haley in Nevada primary
Though typically the idiom “second to none” is a compliment, for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, it means her third defeat in the Republican presidential nomination process. And a humiliating one. With nearly half the statewide vote counted Tuesday night, Haley was trailing “none of these candidates” in the Nevada presidential preference primary. Haley […]
Tribal citizens in Nevada can now vote with EASE
Tribal members who reside on a reservation or colony in Nevada can now register and vote from the comfort of their own homes using an electronic ballot system, making 2024 Nevada’s most accessible election year for Native American voters yet. The 2024 Presidential Preference Primary Election will be the first election where Native voters residing […]