Robert E. Hutchinson
Non-partisanQ1 K-12 EDUCATION: In 2023–24, approximately 14% of fifth-grade students and 36% of eighth-grade students in Nevada met or exceeded state standards for science, while many Nevada school districts face challenges attracting and retaining qualified STEM educators. What evidence-based policies, if any, would you support to strengthen science education and access to quality STEM educators across the state, and why?
“Right now, too many Nevada classrooms are struggling because we aren’t doing enough to support and retain qualified STEM educators. To fix this, means offering competitive compensation and targeted retention stipends for STEM teachers in high need schools so we stop losing talent to neighboring states or private industries. We also need to expand hands on, experiential learning resources, like modern lab equipment and outdoor education corridors, so students can see science in action rather than just reading about it in a textbook. Supporting education means trusting our educators and keeping our classrooms open, inclusive, and rich with diverse resources. When we invest in our teachers, we give every Nevada child a fair shot at the modern workforce, whether they want to go into clean energy, healthcare, or technology.” Keywords: STEM retention, competitive compensation, hands on learning, critical thinking, public education.
Q2 WATER: Nevada is the driest state in the United States, and our limited water resources are facing increasing demand as drought pressure increases. Research has documented declining groundwater levels and concerns about the long-term sustainability of groundwater withdrawals. What policies, if any, would you support to promote sustainable groundwater use and protect long-term access to fresh water in Nevada? How would you approach balancing competing water demands, such as those from agriculture, communities, industry, and environmental needs?
“Here in the Las Vegas, we live on the front lines of the Colorado River crisis and a drought. We must protect our long term water supplies by grounding all future development and zoning approvals in rigorous, independent hydrological data rather than optimistic projections. Conservation must be non negotiable. Heavy water users like data centers must be enforced to strict regulatory guardrails. Data centers should be required to utilize advanced closed loop, water free cooling systems to ensure they do not strain our municipal supplies. Protecting our water security is the ultimate prerequisite for keeping Las Vegas viable for generations to come.” Keywords: Municipal conservation, strict hydrological oversight, closed loop cooling, water security.
Q3 HEAT: Reno was recently identified as the fastest-warming city in the country, closely followed by Las Vegas. What steps, if any, would you take to protect Nevadans from the increasing threat of extreme heat, particularly vulnerable populations such as children, older adults, low-income communities, and outdoor workers?
“Las Vegas is one of the fastest warming cities in the country, and extreme urban heat is no longer just a weather challenge, it is an urgent public health and equity crisis. The urban, targeted infrastructure investments. We must aggressively expand cool corridors across our valley by funding shade structures, transit shelters, and urban forestry in historically underserved neighborhoods. When a child walks to and from school or a resident waits for public transit, shade relief must be treated as basic public safety infrastructure. Furthermore, we must protect our outdoor workforce from construction crews to hospitality workers by enforcing robust workplace heat safety standards, ensuring reliable hydration access. “ Keywords:Urban heat island, cool corridors, equitable shade infrastructure, outdoor worker safety, public health equity.
Q4 ENERGY: In 2025, solar power provided approximately 34% of Nevada’s total in-state electricity generation. As electricity demand continues to grow, what role do you believe renewable energy sources should play in meeting Nevada’s future energy needs? What policies, if any, would you support to facilitate the development of these resources while keeping energy affordable for Nevada households and ensuring that residents who generate their own electricity can participate fairly in the energy system?
Renewable energy in Nevada already powers a massive share of our state, and as our electricity demand grows, solar and other renewables must continue to play the leading role in our energy future. However, transitioning to clean energy must never come at the expense of our working families. I support policies that expand solar development while protecting household affordability. We must ensure that residents and small businesses who invest in rooftop solar can participate fairly in the energy system through equitable net metering policies, rather than being penalized by utility fee structures. Energy policy should lower costs for everyday ratepayers while accelerating our transition away from fossil fuels, ensuring that the economic benefits of the green economy are felt by all Nevadans, not just large utility shareholders. Keywords: Solar abundance, household affordability, rooftop solar equity, fair net metering.
Q5 Nevada has increasingly attracted large-scale data centers and other energy-intensive industries, which can provide economic investment while also increasing demand for electricity and water. What approach, if any, would you take to ensure that the anticipated water and energy needs of these developments are accurately accounted for in planning and permitting, while balancing economic benefits and electricity costs for residents?
I am strongly opposed to bringing more data centers to Nevada. In a desert climate defined by severe water scarcity and extreme rising temperatures, approving massive facilities simply does not make ecological or economic sense for our community. Data centers place an enormous strain on our electrical grid and consume millions of gallons of water for cooling, all while creating very few long term jobs relative to their massive footprint. In the Las Vegas, every drop of water and every kilowatt of energy is precious. We cannot afford to subsidize or accommodate industries that threaten our long term water security and drive up utility costs for everyday residents. Instead, our planning priorities must focus on sustainable industries that respect our desert environment, protect our scarce resources, and prioritize the well being of local families over outside corporate expansion. Keywords: Desert water scarcity, grid strain, resource protection, utility cost protection, and community first planning
Q6 MINING AND MINERAL RESOURCES: As the Silver State, Nevada is a major U.S. source of mineral resources and has some of the country’s largest lithium reserves, which are increasingly important to the nation’s energy and technology industries. How would you balance the development of these resources with potential impacts on water, ecosystems, and surrounding communities, and what role, if any, should scientific and environmental assessments play in decisions about where and how mining occurs?
Mining is part of our historical identity, and our lithium is central to the nation’s clean energy future. But extraction cannot come at the permanent expense of our water, desert ecosystems, and local communities. Balancing mining development with environmental protection requires letting science lead the way. We need to rely on independent, reviewed environmental and hydrological assessments to determine where and how mining can occur safely before issuing permits. If a proposed project threatens groundwater or endangered ecosystems, environmental protection must come first. At the same time, we need community oversight and tribal consultation throughout the process. Mining companies should be held to strict standards, ensuring they clean up after themselves and leave local communities protected rather than burdened with long term ecological damage. Keywords: Science led assessments, groundwater protection, tribal consultation, strict reclamation, sustainable extraction.