The vacancy has drawn intense interest from environmental groups, as slim Democratic majorities in Congress likely mean that FERC may end up implementing many of Biden's climate change policies.

Chief of Staff Michelle White, in a statement, called serving in Sisolak's office "the honor of my lifetime" and said she looked forward to supporting the governor's staff during the transition.

Tuesday marked the first public hearing for the Innovation Zone proposal, a concept that was embraced by the governor and originally pushed by Blockchains. The company, which owns about 67,000 acres of land in Storey County, wanted to create a new local government.

Outside of the budget, legislators are beginning their typical ritual of rolling out ambitious bills in the waning days of the session, including a state-based public health insurance option, fixes to the oft-criticized unemployment insurance system, and a major transmission and electric vehicle omnibus bill.

When the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection released a revised report on polluted groundwater in May 2020, the agency's administrator said in a press release that the report would "chart a path forward based on the best available science" for cleaning up a toxic mine. But a review of more than 2,000 pages of records shows the "best available science" was the product of negotiation between NDEP and a company.

The state is anticipating a flood of evictions after the first of the year when the federal eviction moratorium and CARES Act — which has provided millions of dollars in rental assistance — expire.