Earth Equity News

This Week, a Summit on Renewable Energy in Nevada. By John G. Edwards, Las Vegas Review-Journal, August 18, 2008. "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who organized [this week's Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas] will host speakers as diverse as billionaire T. Boone Pickens, President Clinton, governors from several states and numerous energy experts at the University of Nevada… [on Monday] and Tuesday… Speakers are expected to address the promise and the challenge of reducing America's reliance on oil, gas and coal by tapping solar, wind and geothermal energy… The Senate has considered renewing tax credits for solar, wind and geothermal power eight times this year, and the threat of Republican filibuster has stopped the measures' passage each time, said Rhone Resch… of the Solar Energy Industries Association… [who] points to the Ausra solar equipment manufacturing facility that opened in Las Vegas in June with a 130,000-sq. ft. robotic assembly plant and 25 workers. 'There's a very real possibility of that plant and others being idled' if Congress fails to approve renewable tax credits before going home for election campaigns,' Resch said. 'From a business perspective, this is a very real issue,' regardless [of one's position] on global warming, said Jon Creyts, a principal at management consulting firm McKinsey & Co."