Local climate

Climate change appears to have moved to the back burner as the country’s residents and political leaders’ attentions have shifted toward health-care reform. A newly launched coalition of Nevada groups is trying to ensure that clean energy remains a focus. The Clean Energy Works campaign is centered on the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which the House passed in June and the Senate is expected to take up in the coming weeks. The coalition’s goal is to get clean energy legislation passed this fall.

The Clean Energy Works coalition includes the Nevada Conservation League, the Sierra Club, 1Sky, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Democracia Ahora, the Pew Environmental Group, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environment Nevada. This fall, the group will be collecting signatures and urging phone calls to Congress regarding the energy bill. For more information, visit www.rebuildnevada.org.