More than 300 businesses in Nevada announced this week a new alliance around a Senate bill based on strong clean energy and climate principles. This came after Sen. Harry Reid's call for a comprehensive climate and energy legislation and as Senate leaders called for business input this week on their bill.

Among the 323 businesses on clean energy platforms to date are Harrah’s Entertainment, the 37th largest privately held corporation in the nation, according to Forbes; Reno-based Ormat Technologies, with geothermal production and development worldwide; Republic Services’ Nevada operations, a national solid waste management corporation with 34,000 employees; N9NE Group; JMA Architecture Studios; and Cathexes Architecture. The complete list is online at www.rebuildnevada.org.

According to a press release issued by The Rebuild Nevada Coalition, Reid told colleagues in Washington at the end of February to move quickly on a climate and energy bill, and has said a bill is expected late next week. The primary authors of the package are Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). On Monday, Kerry told the Los Angeles Times that his team would seek input from the business community as they finalized the bill’s language. 

“The message the Nevada business community is sending to the U.S. Senate is, it’s time to move forward with a bill that invests in the American workforce, sets limits on carbon, and encourages efficiency,” Paul Thomsen, Ormat’s director of policy and business development, said in the release. “The true power of renewable energy is replacing fossil fuels with U.S. labor, and creating a market for export.”

“By the end of 2010 Republic will have approximately 400 natural gas powered vehicles in service,” Bob Coyle of Republic Services said in the release. “Republic Services of Southern Nevada will be entering discussions with Clark County and the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson to propose the conversion of the residential trash fleet to natural gas powered engines.  With respect to urban pollution, the replacement of one diesel powered truck with a natural gas powered truck is the equivalent of taking 300 cars off the road.  With 240 residential route trucks in Clark County if Republic Services replaces its diesel fleet with natural gas it would be the equivalent of replacing 72,000 cars."

"Buildings use about 40 percent of our nation's energy but can be much more efficient than they currently are,” Eric Roberts, vice president of SH Architecture, said in the release. “We can make them so efficient they produce as much energy as they use. We can create a low-carbon future, not only through new construction, but also through retrofits.  It all starts with a comprehensive piece of legislation like the one being created by Senators Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman. … But perhaps the most important element of an energy and climate bill right now is that it will create over 10,000 jobs right here in Nevada to build the energy infrastructure of the future. I'd say it's a win-win for everyone."

“We’ve allowed short-term thinking to take over what we build, and it’s time for the business community to unite around the long-term health of the region,” Don Clark, owner of Cathexes Architecture, said in the release. “Investing in sustainability is as much a cultural change as it is an economic decision.  Efforts to invest in efficiency, renewables and setting limits on climate-endangering carbon, the ingredients of a Senate bill we'd like to see, is part of this shift.  The long term economic health we gain from this type of investment goes hand in hand with our thriving as a society."