This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at a long-awaited congressional bill that would change the way federal public land is managed in Clark County, creating a path to expand the Las Vegas metro area toward California while setting aside land for conservation.

Storey County commissioners voted to oppose “separatist governing control” within their jurisdiction after Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak backed a legislative effort that could result in a private technology company and major donor forming its own local government.

Proposed legislation could exempt certain pre-decisional meetings and records that involve environmental issues from the Open Meeting Law and the Public Records Act. Looming over that bill is a little-discussed confidentiality clause that the federal government requires.

Cryptocurrency company Blockchains wants to build a new city in the desert. That will require water in an area where it is scarce. To get the water it needs, Blockchains is looking to rural Nevada. Last year, the company acquired water rights in northern Washoe County.

This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at a coalition advocating for the creation of a national monument in Clark County that would span more than 380,000 acres, connecting land designated for conservation and recreation in California and Arizona.

Last week, a state water official sent a letter to the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee backing away from a proposal to give the Court of Appeals original jurisdiction over water cases. As the state moves away from the proposal, Supreme Court Chief Justice James Hardesty said that he plans to look for ways to bring more water law expertise to the judiciary.

This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at how a recent opinion from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals keeps an important case for Nevada water law alive.

This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at Biden’s strategy for public lands. On Wednesday, President Biden signed an executive order focusing efforts around conserving public land, increasing renewable development and creating jobs in an economic transition.

This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at the potential for lithium mining in Nevada as Gov. Steve Sisolak focuses on encouraging the “new energy economy.” Lithium is an essential ingredient for electric vehicles, but it can be challenging to bring projects online.

This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at whether a dry start to winter could mean lingering drought in 2021. Over the past few months, experts have observed a lack of precipitation that builds on record dry conditions in 2020. What does it mean going forward?

An investigation into the destruction of a rare plant species, found only in Nevada and at the center of a heated regulatory proceeding, answers some questions but raises many more. People want a clear narrative, but this is not a story of definitive scientific conclusions.

This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at planning efforts to organize solar development on public land. With states pushing clean energy goals and a Biden administration that has pledged to emphasize renewable development, increased pressure is being placed on public land, sensitive habitats and recreation areas. Do federal and state officials have a plan?

This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at six environmental issues to watch for in 2021. How will policymakers address climate change, natural gas and water? What does a new Biden administration mean for environmental regulations and public land?

Congress rejected two controversial military proposals to expand training ranges onto hundreds of thousands of acres of public land across Nevada, including the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at the decision, what it means for public lands and whether the proposals could reemerge next year.

This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at new research modeling increases in “atmospheric thirst” as the climate changes in Nevada and California. That all might sound technical, but scientists expect the changes to prime the landscape for more extreme wildfire and drought in the coming decades.

The goal is clear: To reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050. The challenge is how to get there.

Amid a global pandemic and an unforgiving job market that’s spurring housing insecurity, Nevada's decision makers are grappling with ways to balance concerns that homeless individuals are creating safety and sanitation problems, with the reality that there are not enough resources to protect unsheltered populations from the harsh elements of the environment.

This week's Indy Environment newsletter looks at the state's comprehensive climate strategy to move toward a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Earlier this month, Sen. Harry Reid spoke to The Nevada Independent about his legacy on environmental issues, from settling disputes on the Truckee and Walker rivers to closing the Reid Gardner Generating Station and cleaning up the Anaconda Copper Mine. Reid also talked about the role of Congress in crafting legislation and climate action in a Biden administration.