Legislators review bills on energy

CARSON CITY -- Lawmakers heard testimony Wednesday on bills aimed at reducing energy use in state buildings and further examining Hoover Dam as a hydropower source.

Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas said Senate Bill 358 calls for tracking energy use in state buildings to maximize use and ensure that taxpayer money is spent wisely. Federal stimulus money would help to start the process.

SB339 would explore use of hydrokinetic power from Hoover Dam to generate electricity by requiring Nevada's Colorado River Commission to conduct a feasibility study. The goal is to look into the widest range of renewable energy technologies possible.

"We have an existing resource, Hoover Dam, which perhaps, through new technologies could contribute even more," Schneider said.