Latest news with #GreatBasinWaterNetwork
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers hit with backlash after passing controversial crypto bill: 'A corporate giveaway, plain and simple'
Utah has passed legislation giving cryptocurrency mining operations unprecedented freedoms in a move that may harm the environment and raise utility costs for residents. The controversial HB230 bill establishes special rights for crypto companies with minimal local oversight, as John Weisheit, conservation director of Living Rivers-Colorado Riverkeeper, and Steve Erickson, board member at Great Basin Water Network, detailed for the Deseret News. HB230, officially titled "Blockchain and Digital Innovation Amendments," gives crypto mining companies the right to mine cryptocurrency, run blockchain nodes, and stake tokens with minimal interference or oversight in Utah. The bill shields these operations from local zoning laws, noise ordinances, and other regulations that normally govern businesses. It also waives requirements for digital operations to obtain money transmitter licenses, which typically involve financial audits. This legislation prioritizes crypto industry profits over environmental protection and community well-being. Proof-of-work cryptomining already consumes up to 2.3% of the entire U.S. electricity supply, according to the Energy Information Administration, more than many countries use. For Utah residents, this could mean higher electricity bills, increased strain on the power grid, and more pollution. The bill creates special "opportunity zones" for crypto miners while offering no provisions for managing water usage, an oversight for a drought-prone state like Utah, where water conservation is important. "Make no mistake — this is not innovation," wrote Weisheit and Erickson. "It will harm every Utahn who pays a power bill, who cares about clean air and water, or who believes public money should serve the public good." Cryptocurrency mining's energy demands have a large pollution footprint. These operations run 24/7 while consuming electricity sourced mainly from dirty fuels — although the industry has begun shifting toward cleaner energy sources. Despite these improvements, mining remains a highly energy-intensive process. Do you think gas stoves should be banned nationwide? No way Let each state decide I'm not sure Definitely Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Crypto mining facilities can consume as much water as 300,000 households yearly to prevent their machines from overheating, per Weisheit and Erickson. In a state like Utah that faces droughts, this water consumption pressures an already-strained resource. Noise pollution also impacts communities near mining operations. The constant sound of cooling fans has been compared to having a semitruck engine running outside your window constantly — and this has led to lawsuits in some jurisdictions. Under HB230, local governments can't regulate this noise even when it disrupts residents' sleep and quality of life. Arkansas passed similar legislation last year with disastrous results. The state quickly faced widespread noise complaints and utility cost increases, forcing lawmakers to reconsider. Some co-sponsors even admitted they had been misled about the bill's impacts. "Lawmakers and the crypto industry are celebrating the passage of this bill as a bipartisan win that will position the state to lead," said Weisheit and Erickson. "But it's a corporate giveaway, plain and simple." The National Coalition Against Cryptomining is now working in 18 states to combat this trend of deregulation. They're building a bipartisan movement of people concerned about corporations that negatively affect quality of life and receive special treatment from lawmakers. You can help by staying informed about crypto legislation in your area and contacting your representatives when similar bills are proposed. Supporting organizations fighting for appropriate regulation of this industry helps ensure our shared resources are not exploited at the public's expense. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Excessive warm weather and below-average snowpack cause concern for Lake Mead's water levels
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Water officials are bracing for impact as the excessive warm weather and below-average snowpack across the Rockies have caused concern for the nation's largest reservoir. 'It's a big lake, huge lake, but it's a shame to see it go down this much,' Gary Peck, a boater at Lake Mead, shared with 8 News Now. 'The volume of water was much higher a decade ago than it is right now, and when we go around the lake, you can see all of these empty spots where we used to go and jump in the water,' Suzana Fox, a boater at Lake Mead shared. Federal data and predictions about our reservoir's elevations show a decrease in water levels. Those at the Great Basin Water Network are expecting the nation's largest reservoir to drop a number of feet this summer. 'This year, it seems like we are hitting an intense pattern of aridity. We're not seeing the moisture that we saw in 2023 going into 2024,'Great Basin Water Network Executive Director, Kyle Roerink, explained. He also added that it's vital for consumers to be conservative with their water usage right now. 'We have to remember that Las Vegas is in the Mojave Desert, so one of the driest places in the nation and in the world. We have to be very conscious,' he said. 'Unfortunately, there's so much uncertainty just behind the hydrology because we are waiting for some major agreements between the seven Colorado River basin states, the federal government, and Mexico, but since the new administration came into office, a lot of things have been upended.' The Great Basin Water Network was formed to protect the water resources for residents, animals, and plants and promote water conservation programs. The Great Basin includes parts of Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, and California. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Precious water: Nevada lawmakers have decisions ahead on conservation bills
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Why should some mining companies and geothermal energy projects get a pass on rules surrounding groundwater extraction? That's the basic question behind a bill in the Nevada Legislature, one of several proposed laws surrounding water issues this session. Assembly Bill 109 (AB109), dubbed the 'water application fairness bill,' challenges a loophole that allows some companies to escape regulatory reviews that come in the permitting process. 'Consumptive use' of water gets a fresh look in AB109. The bill doesn't go along with the thinking that nothing has really changed if the water is returned to where it was removed. 'Yes, you can return water to the source after it's pumped. But that pumping throws off aquifers. And it unstabilizes and unbalances aquifers. And so even if you return ever drop, you can still have major impacts on an aquifer and water can go in different directions and go to different places,' according to Kyle Roerink, executive director of the conservation-minded Great Basin Water Network. 'And so then you're harming springs, which are surface expressions of groundwater and you're harming the overall stability when you pump large quantities, even if it's returned,' Roerink said. He said AB109 fixes that, simply by requiring the permit and ensuring no one is exempt. Union workers written up, fired for using sick days; Nevada lawmaker moves to close loophole Democratic Assem. Selena La Rue Hatch is sponsoring AB109. 'During my work with the Interim Natural Resources committee it came to my attention that there was a loophole in Nevada law that may need closing. As we all know, as the driest state in the nation, our water is precious and limited. Therefore, under our current laws, all water used in the state must be put to beneficial use,' La Rue Hatch said Friday. 'To ensure this, all water uses must be reviewed by the State Engineer to ensure water is available, existing water rights will not be harmed, and the water will indeed be put to beneficial use while protecting the public interest. Unfortunately, there are some select industries who are not subject to this review and are able to use the waters of Nevada without this critical oversight,' she said. 'My intention with this bill is to ensure that all industries go through this same process and that our water is protected. This bill brings clarity to a confusing section of statute and ensures parity for all water users while protecting the water that we all hold so dear,' La Rue Hatch said. Farmers and companies involved in hard-rock mining have to apply for groundwater permits, and this bill would remove exceptions for geothermal projects and new mining methods — including some lithium mining techniques. Groundwater is serious business in Nevada. A number of endemic species live in springs that could dry up with overpumping, and 10% of the Las Vegas valley's water comes from wells, even if all you ever hear about is the 90% that comes from Lake Mead. A fiscal note for the bill indicates there are about 450 active geothermal projects across the state. Albemarle, the company that operates the only active lithium mine in the U.S. at Silver Peak, west of Tonopah, states on its website: 'We carefully measure water withdrawals and continuously monitor groundwater systems, both freshwater and brine, to confirm there are no adverse impacts to the nearby water resources.' Roerink calls it 'the most important water bill that we can pass this session' and points out that it protects wildlife, property rights, due process, the public interest, and even mining companies by ensuring their competition has to follow the same law. Another piece of legislation is the first proposal of its kind in Nevada. WATER CONSERVATION PLANS: AB134 would create a beneficial use that is a 'non-use' — a strictly conservational use, Roerink said. The bill goes beyond protecting springs for wildlife, and it's about more than fallowing fields to save water temporarily. He's concerned about the risks if water 'profiteering' takes hold in Nevada. 'We're an organization that's really cautious about true-blue, dyed-in-the-wool Nevadans who make a living off their water. We want to make sure that we're protecting those interests as well as being conscious that there's going to be less and less water to go around in the years to come,' Roerink said. He sees AB134 as a way to limit conflict over water in communities. The Great Basin Water Network sets out these concepts for what the bill would do: Protect the conserved or saved portion of their right from use-it-or-lose-it provisions in the law for entities that make demonstrable investments in water conservation practices. Prohibits entities from 'conserving' the entire amount of a permitted, certificated, or vested water right. This prevents abuse from speculators. Offers alternatives to buy-and-dry proposals that take water and people off the land, invite invasive weeds, and upend rural community dynamics. Makes provisions voluntary and limited for up to 10 years. Renewals would be allowed after the terms of the Water Conservation Plan expire. After a Water Conservation Plan expires, a water user could resume putting that water to use again for non-conservation purposes. The proposal respects the principle of 'enlargement,' which means another water user couldn't use the 'conserved' or 'saved' water that's flowing downstream. EXPANDING EXISTING WATER CONSERVATION INITIATIVES: Based on an existing program from 2007, AB9 could provide a way to expand conservation programs while putting safeguards in place to prevent speculative uses of water rights. Roerink sees it as a 'halfway' step that might be more acceptable to lawmakers. The bill is still in its formative stages, but it's expected to get a bill hearing next week. WATER OMNIBUS AND CLEANUP: AB104 renews the effort to retire water rights, buying back those rights from individual users across the state. That was happening with the use of COVID money, Roerink said, but it was completely through administrative channels with no framework under state law. This bill would set up that framework, but it does not request any funding for buybacks. This bill is also scheduled for a hearing next week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
