On December 1, 2020, Nevada released its State Climate Strategy. More than half of Sierra Club’s recommendations were included in this plan. We applaud the Sisolak Administration for incorporating these recommendations, and we encourage decision makers in the public and private sectors in Nevada to implement the strategy as well as bolder actions necessary to help Nevada meet the challenges we face with local climate disruption.
In March of 2019, Governor Steve Sisolak announced that Nevada would join the United States Climate Alliance (USCA), a bipartisan coalition of 25 governors committed to realizing the goals of the Paris Agreement that Trump pulled the United States out of in 2017.
Throughout the legislative session in 2019, the legislature passed two major climate bills including:
- SB 358 a statewide renewable portfolio standard (RPS) of 50% by 2030
- SB 254 followed, requiring the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) to develop an annual GHG emissions inventory for all large sectors of Nevada’s economy
In the summer of 2020 Gov. Sisolak launched the State of Nevada Climate Initiative (NCI), which committed to reducing Nevada’s economy-wide GHG emissions and dedicated to achieving resilient communities that are prepared to successfully adapt to climate change.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, opportunities for input were limited, but Sierra Club engaged more than 720 Sierra Club members between June and October 2020 by asking them to sign the petition asking the administration to come up with bold and ambitious plans, provide comments through the seven listening sessions, and write letters to the editor. Our own Jasmine Vazin had an OpEd published in the Las Vegas Sun about how we need to take action on climate change. The Toiyabe chapter worked with our volunteer leadership, national campaigns, and staff to put together a plethora of recommendations for the NCI team to take into consideration. Our recommendations were split into the projects seven listening session categories:
- Transportation
- Air quality
- Land use
- Urban planning
- Economic recovery
- Green buildings
- Climate justice
You can view the full Sierra Club recommendations here. While over half of our recommendations were included in the initial draft of the proposed plan, they are just the beginning of the actions we need to ensure an equitable, resilient, and sustainable state for years to come.