May 16, 2008

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid released the following statement regarding a report by the National Parks Conservation Association detailing the Bush Administration’s plans would make it easier to thwart laws intended to keep the air in the Great Basin National Park clean.  Great Basin National Park is listed as number three of the top ten national parks most threatened by proposed new coal power plants.

“Every year, nearly 90,000 people travel to Great Basin National Park to experience its stunning landscape.  As a lover of the outdoors and author of a law that created the Great Basin National Park, the first and only national park in Nevada, I am very concerned by the Administration attempts to circumvent laws that protect our national parks.  This new report shows air and water in Great Basin will be compromised greatly if we allow dirty coal plants to be built near our national parks.  Rather than easing these laws, more should be done to toughen air and water standards.  I will continue putting my leadership position to work to protect Nevada’s great outdoors by investing in clean renewable energy”

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