Polluted air

Nevada representatives voted no on two legislative actions and are now facing the disappointment and anger of the state’s environmental advocates.

Last week, Sen. Dean Heller voted against updates proposed by Environmental Protection Agency to the Clean Air Act, a measure that ensures air quality regulation. The Senate disagreed and voted to update the act and will now require power plants to make changes throughout the next three years to reduce toxic emissions. A bill to rewrite smog standards will be voted on this week.

But it’s not all good news for clean air—the Domestic Energy and Jobs Act was passed in the House of Representatives, which promotes the expansion of oil and coal-centric projects, such as the Keystone XL pipeline, in the name of job creation.

Heller and Sen. Harry Reid both voted no on an amendment of the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act that would require that all consumable items be labeled if the “product contains a genetically engineered ingredient,” according to Senate.gov. With a 73-to-26 vote, the bill did not pass.

In response, several petitions have been started online, as well as letter writing campaigns to Heller and Reid.