The $5 billion Tesla Motors factory planned for northern Nevada is expected to be a thirsty resident.
Some estimates say the factory will require the equivalent of nearly half of the groundwater rights allocated to its Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center home.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports:
The project, the cherry atop Gov. Brian Sandoval’s economic development agenda to date, promises high-paying jobs and a diversification from a long-sagging gambling economy to one powered by high-tech manufacturing and technology.
But Steve Hill, the director for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, told KNPR’s State of Nevada that water use at the plant will not hurt northern Nevada.
He said Tesla Motors is working to reduce its water use through the plant’s design and the manufacturing process. He said the plant will use between 2,000 and 2,500 acre feet of water per year.
The water will come from the allotment the industrial park already has and from waste water that is treated and put back into the Truckee River. Hill said the water that is put into the river is actually too much, so putting it into the plant actually helps balance the water use.
“Certainly the drought is a concern, but the water facilities in the region have storage of more than a decade for continued drought,” Hill said.
Hill also said he is confident about the state’s future.
A Los Angeles Times article from December showed Nevada had the second biggest change in population in the nation, based on U.S. Census data between July 1, 2013 and July 1, 2014.
In its latest listing, the U.S. Census Bureau this week found that the states with the largest percentage change in population in the year ending on July 1 were led by North Dakota, followed by Nevada and Texas with about 1.7% growth each. Texas was second most populous state overall, at 26.9 million while California was the largest at 38.8 million.
Hill believes Nevada will soon be the fastest growing state in nation. He said growth won’t be as explosive as it was in the 90s and early 2000s but will be good for the state.
Hill also outlined two items he would like to be addressed in the upcoming Legislative session. The first is a change to Nevada law allowing people who have a medical license in another state to get a temporary license in Nevada.
Currently, it can take several months some times for a doctor, nurse or other medical professional to get a Nevada license, even if they have a valid license in another state. Hill believes that practice makes it harder to attract good people.
He also wants to push for giving businesses that pay their employees the state average wage better and bigger tax breaks, while businesses that don’t pay that wage would not get those same tax breaks.
Guest:
Steve Hill, director, Governor's Office of Economic Development
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