Rich Nolan is president and CEO of the National Mining Association.
Many Las Vegas policymakers and residents take great pride in being the first large city to run on 100 percent renewable energy, including massive solar and wind installations, hydropower from the Hoover Dam and an extensive electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
But it’s how Las Vegas and Nevada are leading on the front-end of America’s advanced energy supply chain that’s arguably far more notable. As one of the nation’s major mining states, Nevada is providing the resources that will be crucial for 21st-century advances in renewable energy.
Nevada is blessed with a unique mix of raw materials, including gold, silver, copper, lithium and molybdenum, among other minerals. These are the irreplaceable building blocks for America’s high-tech energy supply chain.
Nevada is one of the few states that is both deploying advanced energy and building the supply chains — from mines to battery manufacturing — to support the nation’s energy future. In fact, more than 41,000 Nevadans work directly in the mining industry or are supported by it.
For the rest of this column: https://lasvegassun.com/news/2023/aug/22/nevada-holds-a-key-to-americas-energy-future/