Speaking to the Nevada Lambda Business Association, Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid recalls how he successfully threatened utility executives over the planned construction of “four or five” coal-fired power plants in Nevada: “I told them, ‘You will rue the day you do that…I will do everything I can to hurt your investments, your company.” Senator Reid says, “I won, they lost.”

LAMBDA Business Luncheon

KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas

August 16, 2016

Also see: Daily Caller: Harry Reid Brags About Personally Threatening Coal Executives With Financial Ruin – Here’s what Reid told reporters at a luncheon Wednesday, according to KTNV’s Jon Ralston:

But here in Nevada we don’t even have—NV Energy has not been the biggest help. We had companies come here wanting to spend money [inaudible] but they ended up pulling away [inaudible] they lost large amounts of money. [inaudible] is doing the accounting now and he’s doing a lot better now, but there’s still a lot they need to do. They announced that they—because you know, I came out there—but a number of years ago and I learned they were going to build four to five new coal fire generating plants in Nevada. Why? Because it’s pristine. Out there, nobody complains. I complained. My staff and everybody said “why are you doing that? You’re going to hurt yourself.” And maybe I did. But I won, they lost.

I called two of the companies that built plants there and I told them go ahead and do it, but I am going to do everything to hurt investments in your company. So they decided perhaps—decided to get rid of the coal plants. We don’t have a coal fire generated plant open since Reid-Gardner. And it was 40 years [inaudible]. Yesterday, they announced they announced it is going to close a year early. There’s only one coal fire plant left in Nevada and that’s on its way out too. So we’re making progress in Nevada.