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Thomas Young, Deputy Press Secretary, (719) 393-2354, thomas.young@sierraclub.org
LAS VEGAS, NV: NV Energy’s Reid Gardner coal plant has finally stopped burning coal after 50 years of powering -- and polluting -- southern Nevada. The closure of the Reid Gardner coal plant is a remarkable triumph for all Nevadans, but especially for the Moapa Band of Paiutes who mounted an impressive campaign to replace the coal plant that soiled their air and water with clean, sustainable solar power.
The Reid Gardner closure leaves NV Energy with ownership in just two remaining coal plants: the Valmy coal plant which is scheduled to close no later than 2025, and the Navajo Generating Station which NV Energy is exiting at the end of 2019.
Despite the decline of coal and other fossil fuels, Nevadans now have lower power bills than they did a decade ago and the clean energy and energy efficiency sectors in Nevada now employ more than 20,000 people.
“Reid Gardner powered down just as Nevada is taking its place as a national clean energy leader,” said Elspeth DiMarzio, Campaign Representative for the Nevada Chapter of the Sierra Club. “The state now employs more than 20,000 people in the clean energy and energy efficiency industries and they are proving they can reliably and affordably power our state without coal.”
The Moapa Band of Paiutes Tribal Council issued the following statement:
“The Moapa Band of Paiutes is relieved that Reid Gardner Power Station is finally ceasing operations with the closure of Unit 4. We applaud NV Energy for standing by its commitment to retire this plant, which has been a source of environmental and health concerns to the tribe and its members for a long time. We hope that NV Energy and our other neighbors join us in leading the way toward developing more renewable energy sources that create jobs, clean power, and opportunity right here in Nevada.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 2.4 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
“The Moapa Band of Paiutes is relieved that Reid Gardner Power Station is finally ceasing operations with the closure of Unit 4. We applaud NV Energy for standing by its commitment to retire this plant, which has been a source of environmental and health concerns to the tribe and its members for a long time. We hope that NV Energy and our other neighbors join us in leading the way toward developing more renewable energy sources that create jobs, clean power, and opportunity right here in Nevada.”
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The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 2.4 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.