8 seconds at a time.

1.) Isn't the city's power supplied by the Hoover Dam? When we took the tour of the dam it seemed like there wasn't a shortage of power in the foreseeable future (ie if they needed more power they simply opened one of the screws and let more water through).

2.) This isn't really urban growth, as the boundaries of LV aren't expanding, right? This is suburban growth (aka sprawl). Right?

@cityofprogress

1.) You are correct, but if Lake Mead drops below a certain level (1050 ft.), Hoover Dam will not be able to generate electricity. It is currently hovering around 1110 ft. and expected to keep dropping in the coming years.

2.) I suspect you are right, that the new development is suburban sprawl. Which really just means that even more electricity will be used to cool large, suburban homes instead of smaller urban apartments, townhouses, etc.

@taestell Yeah, I mean, not to be a dick about it, but I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for the people that moved into suburban tracts out West and are luxuriating themselves out of power and water. At some point they'll be forced to deal with the consequences and costs of their decisions. I think the only negative, from my perspective as a Chicagoan, is that they might try to move to my city, which might make it unlivable. Given the stereotype of that demographic, though, I have a hard time picturing them tolerating both snow and black people.

@cityofprogress Exactly. Of course we're not going to let Las Vegas go without electricity once Hoover Dam shuts down. We'll just fire up some more coal power plants and warm up the rest of the planet so that people who live in the desert can cool down... makes sense, right?

And within a few decades, I bet they'll be asking for a pipeline to carry fresh water from the Great Lakes. We can only hope that the Midwestern states will be smart enough to fight against it.

@cityofprogress Also, the GIF reminds me of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch...

@taestell Well, regarding the pipeline from the Great Lakes to the desert, there's an international treaty regarding usage of water from the basin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki...

Also, I think coal-fired power plants are on their way out.

Not to be flip about it, because this is serious and effects all of us, but I guess what I'm saying is that I hope the costs and consequences of these poor suburban sprawl decisions will be borne by the people that live there, and not by folks like you and me.

Given how things historically have shaken out in this country, of course, the lower classes will likely bear the brunt of the pain, while the upper classes and business will be given a pass.

@cityofprogress 100% agreement with everything you just said.