Editorial: Greens target another clean energy project

Green resource advocates insist that Nevada can be a leader in the field given its natural support and copious sunshine But that would require the advance of those tools something numerous of those same green activists aren t prepared to abide by The U S Geological Survey in May concluded that geothermal potential in Nevada s Great Basin has the feasible to supply of the nation s current electricity usage Geothermal which harnesses natural heat within the Earth now supplies less than The Bureau of Land Management has operating geothermal plants in Nevada mostly in the northern part of the state and expects that to greatly increase in coming years The state and counties share in the proceeds generated by such plants which can be an fundamental revenue source for struggling rural communities Yet roadblocks to expansion of geothermal abound and they include progressive environmental groups that routinely exploit the legal system in an effort to delay or kill resource expansion green or traditional Last week the Center for Biological Diversity declared it will sue the Trump administration for fast tracking Nevada geothermal projects including a advancement in Dixie Valley northeast of Fallon The center argues the project threatens an endangered toad and that the president acted inappropriately in declaring an vitality exigency to expedite environmental reviews of potential plants on masses land Presidents don t have unilateral authority to declare an urgency where one doesn t exist so they can do whatever they want Patrick Donnelly the center s Great Basin director stated the Nevada Current Donnelly isn t wrong There are legitimate legal issues in play involving the strength crisis But in this episode that objection is a fig leaf to obscure the fact that the Donnelly s organization has for years sued to block numerous force and other projects throughout the Silver State including certain solar farms geothermal projects and mines necessary to provide the materials for EV batteries Needless to say the folks at the Center for Biological Diversity are no fan of traditional capacity sources so it remains a mystery how they believe the nation is to fuel an financial market that provides Americans with the world s highest living standard The White House move is an understandable response to a real concern Environmental red tape a hidebound bureaucracy and the green litigation industry have made it intricate and expensive to build things in this country from infrastructure to housing to geothermal plants All potential progress even the green kind requires trade-offs and the nation s prosperity requires the rise of a diverse and reliable power portfolio Totally shouting no and standing in the way is not a fix Las Vegas Review-Journal Tribune News Institution Editorial cartoon by Steve Kelley Creators Syndicate