While the Wall Street Journal tells us that the EPA has denied California’s request for a waiver that would allow the state to impose stricter environmental regulations on automobiles, Solar Daily tells us that the first U.S. plant dedicated to production of equipment for solar thermal power generation will be built in Las Vegas. The article explains that,

Solar thermal power plants use fields of mirrors to capture the sun’s power to produce electricity without pollution. Ausra’s innovations in mirror systems have brought the price of solar power down to the level of gas-fired power today, and will soon reach prices associated with coal-fired generation. Solar thermal power plants can store energy as heat to continue power generation at night and during cloudy periods.

The new plant will produce enough equipment each year to provide power to 500,000 homes. It is nice to know that while the tragicomedy of dog-race reporting on national politics keeps us mesmerized, some folks are still managing to get some serious engineering done. Too little, too late? Maybe. But at least there’s some hope.