Gov. Joe Lombardo: Nevada solar industry is 'frozen' by Trump administration memo

Alan Halaly, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Aug 7, 2025

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Nevada’s solar boom could be hampered by too much direct oversight from the Interior Department, the governor told the Trump administration in a letter Monday.

Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, raised concerns about a July 15 memo that requires Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to directly sign off on every step of solar and wind development on public land. That includes every document created under the National Environmental Policy Act, from public notices to environmental impact statements to final decision letters.

“My office is hearing that solar projects deep in the project pipeline have been frozen,” Lombardo wrote, adding that the energy generation is needed to accommodate data centers and mining industry growth.

Data centers are the main driver of strain on Nevada’s energy grid, as highlighted by a recent report from nonprofit Western Resource Advocates.

In total, 69 types of documents related to solar and wind projects that might normally only need approval from state Bureau of Land Management directors must be routed through Burgum’s office.

Lombardo’s office told the Las Vegas Review-Journal there had been no response from Burgum as of Thursday morning.

In a statement on Thursday, Interior Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Peace defended the new procedure.

“This policy strengthens accountability, prevents misuse of taxpayer-funded subsidies and upholds our commitment to restoring balance in energy development,” Peace said.

Delays uncertain, but possible

The Silver State has been earmarked as prime for solar development over the next few decades, with the 2024 Western Solar Plan identifying more acreage of potential solar zones in Nevada than any state in the West.

Pending projects that total 33 gigawatts of energy are expected to garner $6 billion in state and local taxes and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs, Lombardo said.

President Donald Trump and his administration have emphasized the need for an “all-of-the above” approach to energy generation, meaning no preference should exist in permitting for cleaner sources of energy such as solar. Lombardo agreed in his letter with this proposition, saying he appreciates that message of the memo.

Lombardo mentioned three NV Energy power purchase agreements that could be affected by the memo, as well as the two Greenlink energy transmission lines that need federal right-of-way permissions on private land to proceed.

Two of them are slated for Southern Nevada, Boulder Solar III in Boulder City’s Eldorado Valley and Dry Lake East about 20 miles northeast of Las Vegas. They had been expected to become operational by June 2027 and by the end of 2026, respectively.

NV Energy spokeswoman Meghin Delaney said in a statement Thursday that the utility appreciates Lombardo’s efforts to get clarity and guidance from the Interior Department. Neither NextEra nor 174 Power Global, the companies building the solar projects, responded to a request for comment.

In his letter, Lombardo recommended limiting the scope of the memo to projects on public land, giving more instruction to both state BLM and Fish and Wildlife Service offices to help facilitate secretarial review, and considering a consolidated review of multiple smaller steps in the permitting process.

“Without the energy to support important and burgeoning sectors of the State’s economy which also propel key industry priorities for this Administration, Nevadans will miss out on the jobs and economic benefits that flow to them,” Lombardo said.

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