House passes Nevada lands bills, again, as part of defense spending bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Brian Baluta, 202-225-6155
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, a historic package of Northern Nevada lands bills – six introduced by Rep. Mark Amodei (NV-2) and one by Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-4) – passed the House again, 300 to 119, this time as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), in a move intended to help the Senate finally bring the legislation up for a vote in the waning days of the 113th Congress. Also included in the defense spending bill was Rep. Horsford’s Tule Springs legislation for Southern Nevada.
“In the House, I’m confident that we’ve exhausted regular order for these Nevada bills, with each of the provisions, in one form or another, passing out of committee and the full House two or more times,” said Amodei. “While their inclusion in the NDAA is not my preference, I am pleased that the Senate has found time to take up these worthy bills in the second to last week of Congress, which is more than can be said for hundreds of bills passed by the House. Although there is some opposition in the Senate to the inclusion of the legislation in the NDAA, I am hopeful the support exists for final passage when the Senate is expected to vote next week.”
The following measures important to Nevada were included in the NDAA and passed by the House:
H.R. 433, the Pine Forest Range Recreation Enhancement Act, would designate approximately 26,000 acres within the Blue Lakes and Alder Creek Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) as the Pine Forest Range Wilderness Area and release approximately 1,000 acres of the existing WSA lands. The bill would also direct the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to exchange federal lands surrounding nearby ranches for private parcels within the existing WSAs to allow for management of public lands and ensure the economic viability of privately owned ranches.
H.R. 696, the Lyon County Economic Development and Conservation Act, would enable the City of Yerington to partner with Nevada Copper to purchase, at fair market value, and develop approximately 10,000 acres of BLM land surrounding the Pumpkin Hollow project site for industrial, recreational, and infrastructure purposes. The bill would also designate approximately 48,000 acres in Lyon County as the Wovoka Wilderness Area.
H.R. 1167, the Restoring Storey County Act, would transfer the surface rights to approximately 1,745 acres of BLM land in Virginia City to Storey County to resolve conflicting ownership and title claims.
H.R. 1168, the Carlin Economic Self-Determination Act, would convey to the City of Carlin approximately 1,400 acres of BLM land surrounding the city for the purpose of multi-use development.
H.R. 1169, the Naval Air Station Fallon Housing and Safety Development Act, would transfer an approximately 400 acre BLM parcel within the confines of the Fallon Naval Air Station to the Secretary of the Navy. This land would be used for housing Navy families and would provide needed flexibility to grow the base.
H.R. 1170, the Fernley Economic Self-Determination Act, would convey to the City of Fernley approximately 9,114 acres of BLM and Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) lands within the city boundaries at fair market value for the purpose of multi-use development.
H.R. 2015, the Las Vegas Valley Public Land and Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument Act, would establish Nevada’s first national monument and convey BLM land suitable for economic development in Clark and Nye Counties, additions to the Great Basin College in Pahrump, College of Southern Nevada and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) campuses, the creation of the Nellis Dunes OHV park and an expansion of Nellis Air Force Base.
H.R. 2455, the Elko Motocross and Tribal Conveyance Act, would convey to Elko County and the Te-moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada approximately 275 acres of BLM land to be used as a motocross, bicycle, off-highway vehicle, or stock car racing area.
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