Nye County Codes undergoing adjustments.

This Tuesday will be a busy day for the Nye County Commission, with a total of five public hearings to be held as part of the board’s regular bi-monthly meeting.

If residents have an opinion about local regulations on commercial solar projects, the hauling of solid waste in the county, road project prioritization, a proposed diesel tax or the application to move water rights associated with water that is being trucked out of town for solar development, the Dec. 3 meeting will be one they do not want to miss.

Although agenda items are not always taken in the order they appear, the first of Tuesday’s public hearings is on Nye County Bill No. 2024-23.

This bill is a direct response to the move by developers to create vast photovoltaic solar fields in Nye County, most particularly Pahrump. It’s an action that residents have been anxiously awaiting for two years.

“The purpose of this ordinance is to regulate the location, construction and operation of commercial-scale renewable energy generation facilities, above-ground transmission lines (not located within an established utility corridor), battery energy storage systems, electrical substations and gen-tie connections,” the digest for the agenda item states. The recommended effective date, if adopted, is Dec. 23.

Next on the agenda is the public hearing on amendments to the county’s codes for solid waste hauling, Nye County Bill No. 2024-10.

“The purpose of this bill is to update Nye County Code Title 8 Chapter 8.24 Solid Waste Management. These changes include adding new definitions, updating who needs a license for solid waste haulers, updating the fee for a waiver application and updating parts of the Waiver of Use Fees section,” the agenda item description states.

One of the proposed amendments reads, “Waivers shall not be granted to any solid waste hauler or solid waste being transported to Nye County for disposal” while another puts forth the suggested increase in the waiver application fee from $150 to $300, among other changes.

A request by Nye County Public Works for commissioners to use their power to establish a county-specific diesel tax will also be heard on Tuesday, details of which were included in a previous edition of the Pahrump Valley Times. Readers can also find previous coverage of the diesel tax topic at pvtimes.com

Dovetailing with the diesel tax public hear, the board will discuss the county’s roads, with the new Project Priority Ranking List as contained in the 2025-2035 Streets and Highways Capital Improvement Plan on the agenda. The plan was originally approved in August. However, “A new project priority list is needed with the new report,” the agenda item explains. “This new list combines both lists found in the new CIP (Capital Improvement Plan) to establish priority.”

Finally, commissioners will hold a public hearing to determine the board’s stance on an application by RFC Holdings LLC, Wulfco LLC, Harris Ltd., Mid-Valley Enterprises and Time to Celebrate to move water rights from a local gravel pit to an existing well on the southern end of Pahrump’s Basin No. 162.

Currently, the water at that gravel pit is being trucked for use in solar construction, a fact that has certainly riled the community. However, the Nye County Water District Governing Board has already voted to support the application as “the lesser of two evils,” coverage of which can also be found at pvtimes.com

To view each of the public hearing agenda items visit NyeCountyNV.gov and click on “Meeting Center.”

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Residents can attend in Pahrump at 2100 E. Walt Williams Drive or in Tonopah at 101 Radar Road.

For those who cannot attend in person, information for calling into the meeting can be found on the agenda.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com