The Reid Report

It’s no secret that Nevada’s economy is struggling and our families and businesses are paying the price. Our unemployment and foreclosure rates are among the country’s worst. But I know that getting our economy back on track starts with getting Nevadans back to work. Our state has tremendous natural resources like wind, solar and geothermal energy that can create thousands of jobs and power the West, but we haven’t been able to connect that potential energy to the nation’s electrical grid until now.

This week I introduced legislation to solve that problem and connect Nevada’s resources with the marketplace. As the Las Vegas Sun reported, the lack of power lines from the rural power sources to consumers around the state has been the major barrier to our clean energy agenda. Earlier today, I testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee about my solution. This plan is an important step towards rebuilding Nevada’s economy for years to come. Click on the picture below to watch video from my testimony.

Following our most significant victory to date in the battle to keep radioactive waste out of Nevada, I introduced legislation, along with Senator Ensign, to create a Blue Ribbon Commission to study alternatives for managing nuclear waste in the United States. This is a clear signal that the Yucca Mountain project is coming to an end. After I slashed Yucca’s budget and the Secretary of Energy confirmed that Yucca Mountain is no longer an option for dealing with the country’s nuclear waste issues, it is time for the federal government to plan for a future that does not include dumping nuclear waste in Nevada. To hear me speak about this proposal, CLICK HERE.

Thank you for reading this update. If you’d like to learn more, please visit my website.

Reid Meets With the Sierra Nevada Job Corps

Nevada Senator Harry Reid met today (March 10) with students and staff from the Sierra Nevada Job Corps. Job Corps, a program through the Department of Labor is a residential education and job training program for at-risk youth ages 16- 24. The Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center, located in Stead, is one of the largest Job Corps campuses in the country, serving nearly 600 students. The Center provides vocational training in auto repair, carpentry, electrical, hospitality and culinary arts.
 
The current Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill includes $1.7 billion for Job Corps which is an increase from 2008 funding.  In addition, the American Recovery And Reinvestment Act included $250 million for infrastructure improvements at Job Corps locations across the country. Sen. Reid is also working with groups in southern Nevada to bring a Job Corps Center to Las Vegas, which remains one of the largest urban areas in the nation without Job Corps.

“Programs like the Sierra Nevada Job Corps are preparing young Nevadans for the job market by teaching them the skills they need to compete,” said Sen. Reid.  “I was very impressed with the students I met today and would love to see this program continue to grow in our state.”

Nevada Senator Harry Reid met today with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to discuss their efforts to encourage more business travel to Las Vegas.

The leaders also discussed Reid’s support for the Travel Promotion Act, which encourages travelers from other countries to visit tourist destinations in the United States.