So when a recent news story reported that “Boulder City is quickly becoming Nevada’s solar power hub,” it highlighted the continuation of a long-standing trend of this forward-thinking city leading the way. Even as new and different types of renewable energy projects create jobs, provide clean power to residents and businesses and ease the city’s financial burden, clean energy projects are hardly a new phenomenon here.

While Boulder City now boasts the largest photovoltaic solar energy plant in the entire country with Copper Mountain Solar, a plant that has created hundreds of jobs, Hoover Dam – the biggest federal project when it was built 80 years ago – continues to power Nevada’s homes, businesses, cities and towns.

It took an act of Congress 27 years ago to reaffirm that Nevada, California and Arizona would share hydroelectric power generated by the Dam, and earlier this year I re-introduced the Hoover Power Allocation Act to secure Nevada’s long-term rights to this crucial clean energy source. Reauthorization of the Hoover Power Allocation Act will ensure that Nevada’s oldest clean energy project can continue supplying reliable and affordable electricity to those that depend on it for decades to come. While the current legislation doesn’t expire until 2017, early reauthorization allows electric and water utilities to be sure water is delivered and helps them meet future planning requirements.

The good news is that this legislation, which would extend the agreement with our neighboring states for 50 years, passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee just last month, marking a major step forward as we work to make this bipartisan legislation the law.

I look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans to take care of business on this important legislation for Boulder City. As Southern Nevada’s clean energy portfolio grows to include robust solar and wind projects, it’s crucial that we maintain our oldest clean energy source – hydroelectric power from Hoover Dam. 

Contact Harry Reid at http://reid.senate.gov/