May 27, 2010

Washington, D.C. –Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign today introduced two bills to help create jobs and expand Nevada’s clean energy resources.  The bills will provide new opportunities for rural communities to access natural gas and create low-cost financing options for the construction of transmission lines.  These lines will connect the rural areas where clean energy is generated to the urban centers that need it.

“Upgrading the way we generate, deliver and use electricity is crucial for economic development in Nevada’s rural communities,” said Reid. “I want to make sure Nevada’s rural areas benefit from the nation’s transition to clean energy and the jobs that come with it.  We can do that by building a superhighway that helps deliver clean, renewable energy to the more populated areas where it is consumed.  By increasing access to natural gas we will strengthen our rural communities, put Nevadans back to work and keep our state at the forefront of clean energy generation and transmission.”

“Ensuring that our rural communities have access to the electric grid and natural gas supplies is very important,” said Ensign.  “These bills will help rural communities throughout our state to finance the transmission of renewable energy and the distribution of natural gas, while also creating jobs to help our struggling state economy.  These bills will be a win for Nevada as we promote our state’s renewable energy resources and as we work to create jobs for many Nevadans who have been forced to go without.”

Existing bond programs haven’t provided a way to specifically finance rural to non-rural transmission and one of the bills Reid and Ensign are proposing will address that by modifying existing bond programs.  The legislation will also empower the Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service to provide loans to finance important transmission projects for those who generate renewable energy.

Additionally, some rural communities near natural gas pipelines do not have access to natural gas because they are too small to gain the interest of pipeline companies.  The second bill would provide financing for smaller scale gas pipelines so rural communities can use natural gas.  In addition to the jobs that come from building the pipelines, access to natural gas will benefit these communities by providing a clean, abundant energy source and encouraging economic development by giving homes and businesses additional energy options.

For more information on the bills please go to :

http://reid.senate.gov/newsroom/upload/05272010-rural-clean-energy-infrastructure.pdf

http://reid.senate.gov/newsroom/upload/05272010-clean-transmission.pdf