Climate Fix Blog

Emily Walsh has been deeply embedded in the Sierra Nevada since she was a child. She grew up swimming in the deep blue waters on the north shore of Lake Tahoe and camping among the sugar pines of Plumas Eureka State Park — a beloved family recreation spot for over 60 years. Here, smelling the junipers, pinyons, and sagebrush of the high-desert forest, Emily would search for pebble bugs in their small cocoon of rocks in the ice-cold mountain streams. Her childhood home was in the foothills of the Sierras, where she and her siblings climbed rocks and pretended to be the mountain lions that they heard screech at night. 

Being outside in Northern Nevada is simply a part of her and her family’s DNA and everyday life.

To Emily, nature is synonymous with family. For example, Christmas tree cutting between Carson and Minden was a huge family event — her father has 13 brothers and sisters — and some of Emily’s fondest memories carry the scent of fresh pine in the snow and the yells of her cousins as they found the perfect tree. 

While she loved the scenic vistas of the Northern Sierras, she also appreciated the everyday nature of the high desert.  

“I remember in elementary school someone had just moved here from the Midwest, and they kept talking about how ugly Nevada was,” Emily recounted. “And I was very offended because I loved all the nature that surrounded Reno, like the Washoe Valley, Mount Rose, and Lake Tahoe.”   

She realized that not everyone saw all of Nevada the way she did; they didn’t think the areas of brush and scrub were as worthy of protection as the tall lodgepole pines of Tahoe. But Emily loves every aspect of Nevada, even the small details that people often overlook, and all the different types of landscapes she’d see on the eight-hour drive between Reno and Las Vegas.  

When Emily pursued her postgraduate education in Europe, she focused on political science, policy analysis, and quantitative research. But she also wanted to explore the human aspects of policy in international affairs. In both Germany and Sweden, Emily experienced totally different landscapes and ecosystems, but she carried the same deep connection to nature that she found back in Nevada.  

“In Sweden, there were four parks within a mile of where I lived and, in Germany, so many people would sit out along the Rhine River’s banks and enjoy time together,” Emily recalled. “I loved seeing the Germans who packed their work clothes into waterproof bags, jump from a bridge into the Rhine, and float their way to and from work.”  

Emily found a deep appreciation for the way that people in these cultures worked nature and beauty into their daily lives and added nature across urban areas for the betterment of their communities.  

Emily returned to Nevada after completing her graduate degrees during the pandemic and went straight into advocacy. She was first exposed to clean energy policy and Western Resource Advocates while serving as a lobbyist with a local firm that represented the Nevada Conservation League and Keep Tahoe Blue. Through a coalition that included WRA, Emily played a role in passing a bill in cooperation with NV Energy to establish its transportation electrification program — a big win that came with the realization that utilities could be pushed to do good.  

“I realized that I liked policy more than anything else, and the numbers that come with energy policy really suited my skills,” Emily shared. “I found that fighting for clean energy through the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada and utilities was something that I really enjoyed.”  

Shortly after, Emily joined WRA’s Clean Energy team as a policy advisor because of the experts on the team and the organization’s focus on sound, detailed policies.  

“Every policy position WRA holds is backed by reason, supported by analysis, and determined by very qualified people,” Emily said. “I like that we always have a rational, logical, and effective approach. We work with the utilities to create good things, but we also push back against things that are harmful.”  

Today, Emily works to shift the energy landscape of Nevada.

Unfortunately, the state is backsliding on carbon emissions — emitting more than they projected in the past and potentially at much higher levels — but she is trying to get things back on track. She also advocates for Nevadans at the Commission to lower their daily energy burdens.  

“Methane gas prices have exposed Nevadans to large bill spikes,” Emily shared. “So, in a lot of the rate cases that I work on, I’m advocating for our residential customers who may not be able to afford the choices that the utility is making on their behalf.”  

Emily draws continued resolve for her work from her passion for Nevada and her desire to avoid every possible bad outcome from her community.

While Emily grew up in the outdoors, she doesn’t take it for granted now, understanding just how precious it is.  

“People might think this part of the country is boring and ugly, but I look out my window and feel a sense of wonder,” Emily gushed. “I’ve just always found beauty in the small things that people might not think are worthy of protection.”  

She continues to ski, snowshoe, and camp with her husband. She loves to kayak, paddleboard, and swim in the waters of Lake Tahoe with her dog. For her, from an early age with her family, it’s always been community and nature together. From the mountains and riparian systems hidden in the sageland, to the alkali flats, Great Basin expanse, and Valley of Fire State Park, Emily loves it all. 

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