By: Las Vegas Now Staff
Political leaders and clean energy experts from all over country are in Las Vegas for an energy summit.
The summit will take place at UNLV on Monday, August 18 with discussion on how to shift to a clean energy economy that creates less expensive energy and more efficient energy.
Senator Harry Reid believes Nevada can lead the revolution to transform the country into the renewable energy mecca.
It is hoped that the summit will result in a plan to help the United States to kick their oil addiction and begin using cleaner energy sources; like solar power and wind.
Las Vegan Chris Brooks' company installed solar panels at UNLV. He says Nevada spends about $9 billion a year importing energy from other states. He says if elected officials would stop partisan bickering and pass legislation giving tax credits for renewable energy — the local economy would boom.
Brooks says, “We've seen tax credits and production credits make the industry explode. Creating jobs and pumping money into the economy and it all came to a halt as a result of tax credits not being renewed.”
Brooks says enough sun falls in a small section of Nevada to power the entire nation for a year. He believes if there was strong federal leadership behind clean renewable energy, Nevada could export energy to several states. That money could be used to fix the budget deficit and to help fund education.
President Bill Clinton will speak when the Summit opens on Tuesday. The governors of Colorado and Arizona and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Also attending is oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens who wants to build the largest wind farm in the country.
Senator Reid and clean energy experts are hoping to hammer out a plan at this week's clean energy summit and present that information to both political parties at their national conventions.
You can watch live coverage of the summit starting at 5 p.m. on Monday on Las Vegas ONE, Channel 19. The summit will also be live streamed on LasVegasNOW.com.
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