Nevada Senator Harry Reid issued the following statement after the Nevada Public Utilities Commission this week rejected a proposal to build a 200 megawatt solar power plant at the Moapa River Paiute Indian Reservation for the benefit of all Nevadans.

“The decision to deny the Moapa Band of Paiutes the opportunity to build and generate clean energy on their land and to improve their quality of life is a setback for all Nevadans.

“This solar project would have provided hundreds of good paying jobs for Nevadans as well as economic and health benefits for the Moapa Band of Paiutes, who have been subjected to nearly five decades of pollution from the Reid-Gardner plant.  With Nevada’s economy on the upswing, more power from clean energy sources is needed to feed the grid and fuel job creation. What more fitting then a solar plant on the Moapa Band of Paiute’s reservation?”

“I appreciate NV Energy’s commitment to developing Nevada’s solar, wind and geothermal resources and using renewables to replace Reid-Gardner and power Nevada’s economy into the future.  I hope that a decision can be reached quickly that will provide fairness for the Moapa Band of Paiutes and continue Nevada’s work to become the nation’s epicenter for clean energy.”