May '08 Nevada Government—John Ensign Column

Senator John Ensign voted today (April 24, 2008) to provide additional funding and resources to help our veterans readjust to civilian life after their service to our country. When he was a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, Ensign helped author this legislation and included language that improves an impractical life insurance benefit for troops who lose a hand during their service.

“Our veterans stood up to protect us, to protect our freedom and to protect our future,” said Ensign. “After our young men and women serve our country, we must make sure we fulfill our promise—the benefits they earned through selfless sacrifice to our country.”

Ensign supported the Veterans’ Benefits Enhancement Act, which passed today and increases assistance to help severely disabled veterans modify their homes to better accommodate their disabilities with improvements such as wheelchair ramps and accessible bathrooms. Burial benefits would increase for families of veterans who die due to service-related conditions.

Ensign inserted a provision that clarifies veterans’ insurance benefits to consider the loss of a dominant hand versus a non-dominant hand.

“The current benefit system provides the same assistance without considering whether it is a soldier’s dominant hand,” said Ensign. “If a soldier is right handed and he loses his right hand, the VA should recognize that as an added hardship. Although no benefit will be adequate, the VA should provide additional resources in these cases.”

In Case You Missed It… Nevada Business Journal

How can Nevada diversify its energy sources?

Planning for Energy Security

As most successful investors know, a balanced portfolio provides the greatest opportunity for long-term gain. By investing in diverse areas, one is protected from the unexpected – a sector bust, a natural disaster or a financial scandal.

The same approach is needed when considering our rapidly growing energy demands. To put all of our resources into just one source – be it natural gas, coal, geothermal, wind or solar energy – would be irresponsible.

Nevada is already leading the way in developing renewable energy, but geothermal, solar and wind energy hold much more exciting potential for our state. The Ely Energy Center in White Pine County will play an important role in advancing Nevada’s renewable energy resources.

The Ely Energy Center offers a solution for Nevada to diversify and stabilize our energy sources. By connecting Northern Nevada with Southern Nevada, it allows for the continued development of renewable energy, but this alone cannot meet our needs. It will also provide a reliable energy source using clean-coal technologies to balance our portfolio and help keep costs down for ratepayers.

Coal is abundant, inexpensive and available domestically. New technologies to make clean coal possible are on the horizon and will be employed at the Ely Energy Center. These advancements in carbon-capture technologies are essential to our future because, when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining, we still need a reliable energy source not imported from Saudi Arabia.

Simply put, without the Ely Energy Center and its transmission line that will carry solar, geothermal and wind power throughout the state, there will be no meaningful development of alternative energy in Nevada. It will be economically and logistically impossible. Seniors on a fixed income and low-income residents would bear the brunt.

As Congress continues to drag its feet, our nation faces a related challenge. Key tax incentives that encourage the development of renewable energy are set to expire. As a result, much development toward alternative energy sources will slow or even stop.

Some tremendous projects have already come online across Nevada – solar in the south and geothermal in the north. In order to meet the rapidly growing energy needs of this country, we must plan for our future and develop the resources that are available domestically. It must be done by using all of the resources at our disposal, including solar, geothermal, wind and coal. We have a duty as stewards of our environment, and we must be responsible and realistic about meeting our energy needs. Future generations depend on it.

Ensign Comments On Supreme Court Voter ID Ruling

Senator John Ensign released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling that Indiana has the right to require voters to present valid photo identification at the polls.

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling protects reasonable state voter ID laws. Voting is a tremendous privilege recognized around the world as a symbol of democracy, when exercised in free and fair elections. When allegations of voter fraud exist in elections across our country, the very principles of our democracy are threatened. Presenting a valid photo identification card at the polls, prior to voting, is a necessary requirement in eliminating the possibility of voter fraud and maintaining the integrity of elections in this country. The men and women charged with protecting the tenets of the United States Constitution recognized the importance of free and fair elections to the American democracy, and I am very pleased with their ruling.”

Senator Ensign has been a leader in efforts to modernize our election system by introducing legislation aimed at reducing voter fraud and requiring voter verification. In 2007, he introduced the Voting Integrity and Verification Act which would require that any new electronic voting machines provide a voter-verified paper trail to guarantee voting accuracy.

The Supreme Court ruled today that constitutional rights are not violated when states require voters to present valid photo identification at the polls. This ruling clears the way for states all across the nation, including Nevada, to improve their voting registration standards.

Ensign Comments On Need To Focus On Long-Term Energy Concerns

Senator John Ensign released the following statement after the President addressed rising energy prices in a speech this morning.

“In addition to addressing the concerns of the American family budget, it is imperative that we look ahead to our long-term energy concerns. An overwhelming bipartisan majority in the Senate recently passed my amendment, the Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act. Encouraging development of renewable energy is a key component to addressing our long-term energy needs. As a country, we must begin to focus on long- and mid- term energy priorities by exploring additional energy resources available within the United States, including ANWR. We must begin to focus our energy needs within the United States and end our dependence on foreign oil sources from hostile and volatile countries.”

Ensign Comments On Supreme Court Voter ID Ruling

Senator John Ensign released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling that Indiana has the right to require voters to present valid photo identification at the polls.