The debate continues over whether the Federal Communications Commission’s December repeal of the Obama administration’s “net neutrality” rule will help or hurt rural communities’ bid for greater access to high-speed Internet service, and now it has become an issue in this year’s race for a Nevada U.S. Senate seat. Recently there was a vote in the Senate using the … [Read more...]
How Will Energy Choice Affect Rural Nevadans?
One of the big questions lingering about a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would end electric power monopolies and create an open and competitive market electricity is: Just how will it affect customers of rural Nevada’s power cooperatives? Question 3 on the 2016 General Election ballot — the Energy Choice Initiative (ECI) — passed by an overwhelming … [Read more...]
Primary Candidates That We Recommend
Early voting begins Saturday for Nevada’s party primaries, so we take this opportunity to offer our two cents worth. Since none of the candidates for major statewide offices on the Democratic slate would get our backing come November, so we will address only the GOP primary. For governor the choice is easy and obvious, Republican Attorney General Adam Laxalt has proven … [Read more...]
Let the Voters Decide on Sanctuary Cities Petition
Sometimes it seems the argument boils down to: Those darned voters just aren’t smart enough to figure it out. That notion was never stated but seemed to linger in the background this past week at the Nevada Supreme Court during arguments about whether an initiative petition should be allowed to appear on the ballot, if enough signatures can be gathered. The Prevent … [Read more...]
Still Time to Negotiate on Yucca Mountain
The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly, 340-72, this past week to restart the licensing process to make Yucca Mountain in Nye County the nation’s permanent repository of nuclear waste. H.R. 3053, the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act, also ups the ante, increasing the storage cap from 70 metric tons of highly radioactive material to 110,000 metric tons — a 57 … [Read more...]
Why Education Spending Should Be Cut
Teachers are walking out of classrooms in Colorado and Arizona, demanding higher salaries and more education funding. Lawmakers are rushing to meet their demands. Here in Nevada all the candidates for governor are kowtowing to the demand for more education funding. Republican Attorney General Adam Laxalt has declared, “We must continue to move forward, not backward, in … [Read more...]
BLM Publishes New Plans to Protect Sage Grouse
The Bureau of Land Management under the Trump administration has followed through on its promise to give states greater flexibility on protecting greater sage grouse. On Friday a 204-page draft management plan for Nevada and northeastern California was published in the Federal Register. The plan specifically states that its purpose is to enhance cooperation with the states … [Read more...]
BLM Calculates Costs of Wild Horse Options
The Bureau of Land Management sent to Congress late this past week a report outlining four options for reducing the wild horse and burro population in 10 Western states to sustainable levels. Only one of the four options includes the use of euthanasia, but that was enough to give the self-styled wild horse lovers palpitations. “The BLM today released a roadmap for … [Read more...]