[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 138 (Tuesday, September 18, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1906]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

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                          HON. SHELLEY BERKLEY

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 18, 2007

  Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Speaker, last month this House approved landmark 
legislation to put our nation on the path toward energy independence. 
Among other provisions, this bill would provide incentives to encourage 
the production and use of renewable energy, and calls for greater 
energy efficiency in both public and private sectors.
  When it comes to energy usage, my home town of Las Vegas has received 
more than its share of scrutiny. But I would like to share with my 
colleagues an example of how Las Vegas is leading the nation in the 
effort to become more energy efficient. The following is a response 
from MGM MIRAGE, the largest employer in my district and a good 
corporate citizen, to an accusation that the casinos of Las Vegas use 
too much energy. I would suggest to my colleagues that if more 
businesses would follow the lead of MGM MIRAGE, the impact on our 
nation's energy consumption would be substantial.

                                               September 17, 2007.
     Hon. Candice Miller,
     228 Cannon House Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Miller: We recently read reports of 
     your comments regarding energy consumption by the Las Vegas 
     gaming and tourism industry. We would like to share with you 
     some of the initiatives that we are taking at MGM MIRAGE to 
     reduce our energy impact in our state.
       Currently, we are in the process of building the largest 
     privately funded construction project in the history of our 
     country. CityCenter, a 76 acre, mixed-use urban development 
     in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, will include 2,700 
     residences and a 4,000 room resort and casino. In keeping 
     with our commitment of green building design and 
     construction, CityCenter is being built according to 
     Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 
     certification standards. Once complete, it will be the 
     largest green campus in the history of the United States.
       The following is a list of some of the energy efficiency 
     features being incorporated into CityCenter: CityCenter will 
     have a highly efficient state of the art central plant with 
     combined heat and power capability. This combined heat and 
     power plant will utilize excess heat, reusing it for heating 
     domestic water; Facades will have higher glazing to reduce 
     air conditioning costs; ``Air-brows'' or ``shades'' on the 
     facade will help to prevent overheating of units from direct 
     sun; A docking station for the room key is being considered 
     for some hotel rooms; when the key is removed most of the 
     lights will shut down and thus conserve energy; The design 
     maximizes the use of natural light in residential units, thus 
     helping to reduce energy consumption; Most structures will 
     have a reflective roof, also helping to reduce air-
     conditioning and therefore energy consumption.
       In addition to these energy efficient features, we have 
     taken many steps to also improve the efficiency of our 
     existing buildings.
       MGM MIRAGE recently implemented improvements in lighting 
     technologies and mechanical equipment that will conserve 23 
     million kilo-watt hours annually; this is the equivalent of 
     removing over 1,700 homes from the Las Vegas power grid.
       The impact on air emissions by not having to produce this 
     energy is equivalent to a reduction of approximately 17,000 
     tons of greenhouse gas per year; it would take about 500,000 
     trees to offset that amount of greenhouse gasses each year.
       We are also working with the Rocky Mountain Institute 
     (RMI), a not-for-profit think tank that assists companies in 
     identifying and using energy and resources efficiently. The 
     RMI will aid MGM MIRAGE in the development of a corporate 
     strategy for alternative and renewable energy.
       We also strive to work in a partnership with our local 
     government in Nevada. Recently, our Senior Vice President of 
     the Energy and Environmental Services Division, Cindy Ortega, 
     was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Nevada's 
     Climate Change Advisory Committee. In addition, we have 
     recently been joined by Gary Mayo as our Vice President of 
     Energy and Environmental Services Division. You might 
     remember Gary in his former capacity as Director of 
     Government Affairs and Corporate Responsibility for Visteon 
     Corporation in Van Buren Township, Michigan.
       MGM MIRAGE is committed to continue to demonstrate 
     leadership in the areas of energy and water conservation. If 
     you have any questions or would like additional information 
     about CityCenter, or our efforts with regard to energy and 
     natural resource conservation, please contact Robert Elliott, 
     Vice President of Government Affairs.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Robert Elliott,
                             Vice President of Government Affairs,
     MGM MIRAGE.

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