Investigating What is Behind the Renewable Portfolio Standard in Nevada

^Mojave desert tortoise.

October 7, 2010 - A Big Solar industry Nevada Senator is running for a second term. We at Basin and Range watch support renewable energy on rooftops, over parking lot shade structures, and integrated with Distributed Energy Resources.

This photo is from a July 27, 2019 public meeting for the Gemini Solar Project and we managed to get a photo of Nevada State Senator Chris Brooks. He quickly told us that he was just Chris Brooks that night and not Senator Brooks. That is because he owns a company called Chris Brooks Consulting and told us he has a personal involvement and ownership with Gemini Solar. Gemini Solar received a Power Purchase Agreement with NV Energy in late June about one month before the meeting. As Senator Brooks, he introduced Senate Bill 358, the 50 Percent Nevada Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) bill which passed in April, 2019 and was signed into law. This requires Nevada utilities to acquire 50 percent of their energy from Renewable sources by 2030. How interesting that a solar project he is involved in is the first to profit off the 50 percent RPS legislation.

^Gemini Solar Project

Gemini Solar when fully built will damage 11 square miles of public lands near Valley of Fire State Park and displace nearly 1,200 Federally Protected desert tortoises, plus destroy 700 acres of habitat for one of Nevada's rarest plants - Threecorner milkvetch. Here is information on Brooks: https://ballotpedia.org/Nevada_State_Senate_District_3