This year's midterms produced mixed results for renewable energy in Arizona and Washington, where proponents of clean energy were elected but measures that would have decreased reliance on fossil fuels were defeated. Nevada, however, went bright green on election night, ushering in a new environmentally friendly legislature and cementing itself as one of the top 10 states in the country for renewable energy production.

Steve Sisolak, who supports the protection of public lands and increasing solar investment, was elected governor. Meanwhile, voters swapped incumbent senator Dean Heller for Jacky Rosen after Heller incentivized corporate polluters and proposed opening public lands to oil drilling. "No matter who we are or what background we come from, people from all political stripes in Nevada love their public lands," says Brian Beffort, director of the Sierra Club's Toiyabe Chapter. Volunteers campaigned heavily via door-to-door canvassing, social media, and ballot mailers. "We're lucky to have a community of people here who brought conservation issues to the forefront of public debate," Beffort says.

Voters in the Sagebrush State also passed Question 6, doubling the amount of renewable energy that utilities are required to provide, from 25 to 50 percent by 2030. Sun-rich Nevada already boasts a thriving $5 billion solar industry. With Question 6, it joins 28 other states that have adopted renewable energy requirements.

This article appeared in the March/April 2019 edition with the headline "Nevada's Green Wave."