Without a doubt, there are exceptional natural places in Washoe County that ought to be protected; however, industries that constitute the economic backbone of rural Nevada require access to large tracts of federal public land.

In a 140-page report released Wednesday, the Biden administration’s mining working group proposed a path forward for mining reform in an attempt to address two complicated truths. 

In a party-line vote, the Assembly Natural Resources Committee advanced a proposal placing new environmental regulations on mines that form artificial lakes when extraction stops.

A little more than three weeks before Election Day, candidates running for statewide and legislative offices are spending big in an attempt to gain the upper hand.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) helped derail an effort to revamp an 1872 mining law in the Democrats' agenda bill. The move has raised concerns with environmentalist ahead of a tough re-election campaign.

Mining association president Tyre Gray argued that for a bill to be applied retroactively, clear legislative intent must be expressed in the bill and he did not believe that was the case for AB495.

This week’s Indy Environment looks at the steps Nevada is taking to create a more organized and more efficient grid in the West.

Such a move would preclude the tax department from collecting tens of millions of dollars in revenue, but Gray said the state had never before attempted to collect a tax before the effective date of the bill

Family, friends and political colleagues honored him as a fierce champion of Nevada and “tough-as-nails” leader who also quietly offered help to those in need and inspired a new generation of leaders.

During Thursday’s “Hard Hat Chat,” Gov. Sisolak and state Treasurer Zach Conine answered questions on how the state’s $6.7 billion share of American Rescue Plan (ARP) dollars will likely be spent.

A company wants to build a mine that could bolster the domestic supply of lithium and help address climate change. But the rural communities that encircle the area have major concerns about the project and are at the center of an energy transition from climate-warming fuels, coal mining and combustible engines to solar energy, lithium mining and electric vehicles.

The deal involved a complicated trade of bills — including commitments to kill certain bills and pass others — and some challenges reining in the multiplying requests of lawmakers being courted for votes.

The bill, AB495, was heard in a joint Senate-Assembly budget meeting on Sunday evening ahead of a crucial legislative period — the 120-day session ends Monday at midnight, and the bill must still clear the Assembly and Senate with a two-thirds majority vote, requiring at least some Republican buy-in.

The bill, AB495, was introduced late Saturday in the Assembly, marking the work product of days of furious, behind-the-scenes negotiations between Democratic legislative leadership, Gov. Steve Sisolak and representatives from the mining industry, teacher’s unions and other powerful political players. It’s been scheduled for a hearing on Sunday.

As lawmakers pursued a historic increase to the mining industry’s tax burden, mining companies and industry PACs combined to contribute more than $330,000 to their campaigns over the course of the 2020 election cycle.

With the legislative session almost halfway over, this week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at several bills, including proposals to transition away from natural gas, change mining oversight and create new programs for how water is managed across the state.

This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at a long-awaited congressional bill that would change the way federal public land is managed in Clark County, creating a path to expand the Las Vegas metro area toward California while setting aside land for conservation.

In this edition: Recapping a Q&A with the head of the state mining association, how one lawmaker went viral on TikTok and details on a bill aimed at getting more Native American involvement in the naming of geographical places. Plus, a look ahead at this week’s major bill hearings.

The Nevada Independent spoke with Gray for a 30-minute conversation on the mining industry’s priorities this session, and what it would consider a victory when lawmakers adjourn in about three months.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) will help direct policy over public lands and other issues relevant to the Silver State as chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee during the current two-year legislative session, The Nevada Independent has learned.