Reid's retirement – bad news for Lake Tahoe and Nevada

The following is an opinion article from the Reno Gazette Journal and reprinted here:

It doesn't matter if you love or hate Democratic Sen. Harry Reid to agree that the announcement of his retirement just dramatically reduced our state's political power in Washington D.C.

Nevada will go from a state whose issues were often at the center of debate because of Reid's position as minority leader to a state without a congressional power player in either party.

Because of Reid's leadership positions, Western issues, such as public lands and resources, received attention on the national stage.

They may not as much anymore.

Three issues provide concrete examples of what Reid's clout over the years as whip, majority and minority leader in the Senate has gotten Nevada: Yucca Mountain, Lake Tahoe and picking the presidential candidates.

Yucca Mountain

Just this week at a National Security Forum meeting in Reno, Reid was credited with keeping nuclear waste out of Nevada. Most Congress members want the waste shipped here, far away from their states. They have the votes, but Reid has managed year after year to keep it at bay.

Don't think of whether using Nevada's Yucca Mountain for long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel is a good or bad idea. Don't think of which political party you ally with. Instead, think about what this scenario means: A Nevada senator is such a skilled fighter on behalf of this state, he could thwart the will of the majority of members in the U.S. Congress.

Lake Tahoe

In 1996, Reid called up President Bill Clinton and told him Lake Tahoe's clarity was worsening and the entire basin needed big help. Soon Reid, Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and a handful of cabinet secretaries were speaking here at what has become the annual Lake Tahoe Summit.

From this came two restoration acts authorizing hundreds of millions of dollars to protect Tahoe's clarity, nearby watersheds and surrounding forest.

Again, set aside your thoughts on environmental issues and politics. Here is a senator who has the stature to ask a president for favors. His top Senate positions have allowed access to the White House regarding Nevada for 20 years, from Bill Clinton, through George W. Bush and now into Barack Obama's time in office.

Elections

Because of Reid, Nevada has played a central role in the nation's political dialogue, too.

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