May 7, 2012

 Washington, D.C.- Nevada Senator Harry Reid issued the following statement after U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar dedicated the Silver State North Solar Project, the first large-scale solar energy project to be built on public land in Nevada:

“I commend Secretary Salazar and the Obama Administration for their commitment to Nevada’s clean energy future by helping to move the Silver State North Solar Project quickly through the environmental review process. This important clean energy project will generate affordable electricity for thousands of homes with no air pollution or waste production.  Developing similar projects in Nevada should be an essential part of our future economic growth strategy.

“In March, my office released a report entitled Playing to Win in Clean Energy detailing the state of clean energy development in Nevada.   The renewable energy projects under construction today are creating thousands of jobs for Nevadans.   Our state has much to gain by continuing to develop its renewable energy resources. Government officials, utilities and regulators must continue to work closely with all parties so we can upgrade transmission access and effectively drive immediate investment with stable federal policies to fully realize Nevada’s vast clean energy potential.”

About Silver State North Solar Project

The Silver State North Solar Project is a 50 megawatt (MW) alternating current (AC) solar project located on approximately 600 acres of public land in Clark County, near Primm. The project will generate enough clean energy to serve the needs of about 9,000 local homes per year, displacing approximately 42,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually- the equivalent of taking about 8,000 cars off the road.