April '08 Nevada Government—Shelley Berkley Column

Clean Energy Real Key To Addressing Climate Change Says Berkley

President Bush Right to Recognize Need to Reduce Carbon Emissions,

Wrong to Rely on More Nuclear, Fossil Fuels

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV) today (April 16, 2008) called President Bush right for belatedly recognizing the need to reduce carbon emissions, but said he is wrong to call for more nuclear power plants and a continued reliance by the U.S. on fossil fuels as a means to address global climate change.

“I am glad the President has finally joined me in recognizing the need to reduce carbon emissions that are contributing to climate change. But he is dead wrong when he says that more nuclear power plants and a continued dependence on dirty fossil fuels are the answer to the issue of global warming,” said Berkley.

A strong supporter of expanding the use of clean, renewable energy as a means to address climate change and to reduce global warming gases from power plants, Berkley sharply disagrees with the President’s call for an increase in the use of nuclear power and America’s continued reliance on dirty fossil fuels.

“More nuclear power plants will only mean more nuclear waste and added pressure to ship this toxic garbage to Nevada. Oil and other fossil fuels only add to our carbon emissions, while doing nothing to increase America’s energy independence. Renewable energy from the sun, wind and geothermal sources is truly “clean” and can be produced right at home in Nevada. If President Bush wanted to get serious about stopping global warming, he would support my call for ending subsidies to nuclear, oil and gas and investing those dollars to harness the abundance of clean energy that Nevada and our nation are capable of producing,” said Berkley.

Legislation authored by Berkley, The FREE Act, would invest in expanding the production of energy from sun, wind and geothermal heat by eliminating subsidies to nuclear, oil and gas. The Congresswoman is also a cosponsor of legislation that would place a cap on U.S. carbon emissions, a step that President Bush did not call for in his remarks this morning.

“The Saudis don’t control the wind, Venezuela doesn’t own the sun – this is energy we can harness at home to decrease our dependence on outside energy sources,” said Berkley. “Tapping the Earth’s own natural heat in rural communities around Nevada will not only help solve our energy crisis, but will create new jobs and boost our economy. Families in the Las Vegas Valley should not be forced to accept nuclear waste, more pollution and deeper dependence on foreign fossil fuels in exchange for a commitment to address climate change. I strongly believe we can slash carbon emissions, create new jobs and protect our economy through the expansion of renewable energy and that is precisely the reason I disagree with the President’s call for more nuclear plants and greater addiction to fossil fuels.”

MAYOR GOODMAN TESTIMONY HIGHLIGHTS NEED

FOR PASSAGE OF HOUSING HELP BILL

Package Will Help Address Valley Foreclosure Crisis; Congresswoman Pushing for $7,500 Tax Credit for First-Time Homebuyers

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley pointed to testimony delivered today (April 10, 2008) by Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman as evidence of the need to pass a housing help package crafted by the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. The bill, which would give homebuyers up to $7,500 in tax credits, cleared the panel with Berkley’s support Wednesday and will soon be headed to the House floor for a vote. Goodman testified before the House Financial Services Committee this morning in Washington, D.C. and spoke of how the high numbers of Valley homes in foreclosure are negatively impacting southern Nevada’s quality of life and damaging the local economy.

“Mayor Goodman’s testimony before Congress paints a troubling portrait of how the foreclosure crisis is hurting the Las Vegas Valley and the families and businesses that call our community home. The package I helped craft in the powerful Ways and Means Committee that we passed this week will provide incentives to reduce the number of vacant homes that the Mayor talked about today and which are threatening our quality of life,” said Berkley. “My bill will give up to $7,500 in tax credits to assist families with a down payment on their first home. This much needed package also includes more financial help to keep our friends and neighbors out of foreclosure so they do not live in fear of losing their homes.”

The Berkley housing help package will provide tax credits to first-time homebuyers, increase access to low-income housing and give families a new option to help them save on property taxes. As a member of the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means, Berkley is working to prevent more foreclosures and increase access to affordable housing opportunities, while also focusing on ways to assist families in the purchase of their first home.

“Families in the Las Vegas Valley have been hit hard by the on-going housing crisis and this package will help by making it easier to deduct property taxes, by increasing access to low-income housing help and by offering up to $7,500 in tax credits to first time homebuyers. As a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, I am working to pass this vital package which will aid families in the Las Vegas Valley struggling with high mortgage rates, high rent, high down payment costs or the loss of a home to foreclosure,” said Berkley. “We need to speed along this help for families in Nevada and nationwide and we need to do it now.”

The Housing Assistance Tax Act of 2008 provides tax credits to first-time homebuyers, improves access to low-income housing and allows families to deduct property taxes, as well as other provisions. The legislation, introduced by House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) and cosponsored by Berkley, will be considered by the full House of Representatives in the coming weeks. The Housing Assistance Tax Act of 2008 is designed to complement efforts in the House Committee on Financial Services to address the growing rate of foreclosures nationwide.

Highlights of the Housing Assistance Tax Act of 2008

First-time homebuyer tax credit to assist in making a down payment on a home. This would provide individuals and families with a refundable credit (equivalent to an interest-free loan) of ten percent of the purchase price of their home (up to $7,500). Taxpayers would be required to repay any amount received under this provision over 15 years in equal installments. The credit will be phased out for taxpayers with adjusted gross income in excess of $70,000 ($140,000 in the case of a joint return).

Additional standard deduction for real property taxes to help homeowners who claim the standard deduction by allowing them to claim an additional standard deduction of up to $350 ($700 for joint filers) for state and local real property taxes. This provision applies for 2008.

Temporary increase in low-income housing tax credit and simplification of the credit. This will help put builders to work to create new options for families seeking affordable housing alternatives. The credit will also be simplified to improve its effectiveness.

Temporary increase in state issued mortgage revenue bonds to allow for the issuance of an additional $10 billion of tax-exempt bonds to refinance subprime loans, provide loans to first-time homebuyers and to finance the construction of low-income rental housing.

Berkley Ways And Means Committee Set To Vote

on More Housing Help For Families

Tax Credit for First-Time Homebuyers,

Better Access to Low-Income Housing Help

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley is cosponsoring new legislation that will provide tax credits to first-time homebuyers, increase access to low-income housing and give families a new option to help them save on property taxes. As a member of the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means, Berkley is working to prevent more foreclosures and increase access to affordable housing opportunities, while also focusing on ways to assist families in the purchase of their first home.

“Families in the Las Vegas Valley have been hard hit by the on-going housing crisis and this package will help by making it easier to deduct property taxes, by increasing access to low-income housing help and by offering up to $7,500 in tax credits to first time homebuyers. As a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, I am working to pass this vital package which will aid families in the Las Vegas Valley struggling with high mortgage rates, high rent, high down payment costs or the loss of a home to foreclosure,” said Berkley. “We plan to vote on this package in the coming days with the hope that we can speed along this help for families in Nevada and nationwide.”

The Housing Assistance Tax Act of 2008 provides tax credits to first-time homebuyers, improves access to low-income housing and allows families to deduct property taxes, as well as other provisions. The legislation, introduced by House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), will be considered by the Ways and Means Committee tomorrow and by the full House of Representatives in the coming weeks. The Housing Assistance Tax Act of 2008 is designed to complement efforts in the House Committee on Financial Services to address the growing rate of foreclosures nationwide.

Highlights of the Housing Assistance Tax Act of 2008

First-time homebuyer tax credit to assist in making a down payment on a home. This would provide individuals and families with a refundable credit (equivalent to an interest-free loan) of ten percent of the purchase price of their home (up to $7,500). Taxpayers would be required to repay any amount received under this provision over 15 years in equal installments. The credit will be phased out for taxpayers with adjusted gross income in excess of $70,000 ($110,000 in the case of a joint return).

Additional standard deduction for real property taxes to help homeowners who claim the standard deduction by allowing them to claim an additional standard deduction of up to $350 ($700 for joint filers) for State and local real property taxes. This provision applies for 2008.

Temporary increase in low-income housing tax credit and simplification of the credit. This will help put builders to work to create new options for families seeking affordable housing alternatives. The credit will also be simplified to improve its effectiveness.

Temporary increase in state issued mortgage revenue bonds to allow for the issuance of an additional $10 billion of tax-exempt bonds to refinance subprime loans, provide loans to first-time homebuyers and to finance the construction of low-income rental housing.

Seismic Shift:

Senator Pushes New Mexico Not Yucca Mt.

as Alternate Site for Nation’s

High Level Nuclear Waste Dump

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley today (April 9, 2008) issued the following statement in response to Senator Pete Domenici’s (R-NM) call for a look at New Mexico as an alternate site for burying nuclear waste now thought to be headed to Yucca Mountain. Domenici’s statement that salt domes in New Mexico could be used in place of Yucca Mountain to store high level nuclear waste came this afternoon during a Senate hearing on funding for the proposed repository 90 minutes outside Las Vegas. Also testifying at the hearing was Ward Sproat, Director of the Energy Department’s nuclear waste office. In his remarks, Sproat called for a $100 million increase in funding for Yucca Mountain over the previous year. The Congresswoman’s statement on the hearing is as follows:

“Senator Domenici today dropped a bombshell on the DOE when he said we should be looking at New Mexico as an alternative to Nevada for high level nuclear waste disposal. The myth that Yucca Mountain is the only place we can store this radioactive waste has been shattered by the senior Senator from New Mexico. He calls Yucca Mountain a box canyon because its failures cannot be overcome, including an $80 billion price tag and the risk to 50 million Americans from decades of nuclear waste shipments to Nevada.

“Ward Sproat’s testimony is a swan song for President Bush’s plan to turn Nevada into a nuclear waste dump. His comments cement the fact that the only waste piling up at Yucca Mountain are the billions of dollars that have been spent on this hole in the Nevada desert.

“Although Senator Craig is wrong to continue targeting Nevada, he is right when he admits that reprocessing waste going forward does not eliminate our nation’s waste problem. Unfortunately under this administration, all roads lead back to Yucca Mountain and that is why I will continue fighting to see that funding is cut for this $80 billion mountain of radioactive pork.

“Experts agree that we can safely leave waste at the plants where it is produced, in secure dry-cask storage, for the next 100 years. On-site storage avoids the risks of transporting this toxic garbage, not once, but possibly multiple times, and leaves open the option to end Yucca Mountain while we look for real solutions to this problem.”

Berkley Notified Final Construction Contracts to Be Signed

for Valley’s First Full-Service VA Medical Complex

Hospital, Outpatient Clinic, Long Term Care Facility

Will Serve 200,000 Plus So. Nevada Veterans

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley today (April 1, 2008) announced that the final contracts for southern Nevada’s first full-service VA medical center will be signed in the coming weeks and construction on the hospital, outpatient clinic and long term care facility is scheduled to be completed in 2010. Berkley has been meeting regularly with VA officials and the project’s architects to ensure all resources are in place for completion of the medical complex, which is now set to open its doors in early 2011.

“As a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, this project remains my number one priority and I was pleased to learn today that the VA will soon be signing the final contracts for construction of our new state-of-the-art medical complex,” said Berkley. “Work will be completed on the trio of facilities in the next two years and patients should start receiving treatment in 2011. America’s continued deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, coupled with an already aging veterans’ population, have increased the need for this VA medical complex and the demand for these services in the Valley only continues to grow. Last year I was able to finally secure the full $600 million needed to complete the outpatient clinic, hospital and long term care facility and this announcement is a further sign of real progress toward making this medical complex a reality.”

The announcement about the final contracts was made in a letter sent Monday to Berkley by VA Secretary Dr. James Peake. A copy of the document is available upon request.

In addition to her work in securing authorization for $600 million in funding for the VA medical center, Congresswoman Berkley also wrote and passed legislation that transferred to the VA at no cost, nearly 150 acres of federal land in southern Nevada to house the new complex.