This bill empowers Nevada tribes through land transfers, promotes conservation and development in Clark County, expands wilderness protections, facilitates land conveyances for local government projects, implements a watershed plan, modifies a transition area for development, and establishes off-highway vehicle recreation areas.
Susie Lee
Representative
NV-3
This bill empowers Nevada's tribes by transferring federal lands into trust, supporting tribal economic development and self-governance. It also focuses on land management in Clark County, promoting conservation, streamlining land disposal for public purposes like affordable housing, and supporting essential infrastructure projects. Additionally, the bill modifies wilderness area designations, introduces new protected areas, and facilitates land conveyances to local governments for public safety, watershed protection, and other community needs. Finally, it addresses flood control, erosion, and recreational areas, while reaffirming state authority over fish and wildlife management.
Southern Nevada Land Bill Proposes Major Reshuffle: Tribal Trusts, New Conservation Areas, and Development Zones Earmarked
This hefty piece of legislation, the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, sets out to redraw the map for large chunks of federal land around Clark County. It aims to juggle several big priorities at once: boosting economic opportunities for local tribes, setting aside land for conservation and recreation, transferring parcels to local governments for public projects, and designating specific areas for development. Think of it as a major reorganization plan for how public land is used and managed in the region.
Land Swaps and Local Gains: New Ground for Tribes and Towns
A significant part of this bill involves transferring federal land into trust for Native American tribes. The Moapa Band of Paiutes would receive nearly 45,000 acres to become part of their reservation (Sec. 101), and the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe would gain about 3,156 acres (Sec. 103), expanding their land base for potential economic and community development, although restrictions like prohibitions on new casinos apply. Simultaneously, various local governments get parcels earmarked for specific public needs, transferred at no cost. This includes land for Boulder City (Sec. 401), Mesquite for watershed protection (Sec. 402), Clark County for police, fire, and training facilities (Sec. 403), the Moapa Valley Water District for water infrastructure (Sec. 404), and North Las Vegas for a fire training facility (Sec. 405). These transfers aim to support essential services, from improving emergency response to securing rural water supplies, though the land could revert to the U.S. if not used as intended.
Conservation Lines Redrawn: More Parks, New Rules, and Development Hotspots
The bill makes major changes to conservation designations. It significantly expands existing wilderness areas and designates several large new ones, like the Mount Stirling and Southern Paiute Wilderness areas, adding roughly 1.5 million acres to the National Wilderness Preservation System under the strict rules of the Wilderness Act (Sec. 301). It also establishes nine new Special Management Areas (SMAs) covering nearly 359,000 acres, intended to conserve natural and cultural resources (Sec. 204). However, this comes alongside the revocation of the existing Ivanpah Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) designation, replacing it with SMAs that have specific management rules, including limits on motorized vehicles and withdrawal from new mining claims. The bill also expands the Red Rock Canyon and Sloan Canyon National Conservation Areas (Sec. 202, 209). On the development side, the bill allows Clark County and the Secretary of the Interior to nominate up to 25,000 additional acres for disposal under the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA), potentially opening more land for sale (Sec. 203). It also creates a 350-acre 'Job Creation Zone' near Sloan for non-residential development (Sec. 210) and modifies rules for an area in Henderson to allow limited residential development supporting commercial projects (Sec. 601). Notably, the bill prioritizes review for affordable housing projects on disposed land (Sec. 203) and links the conservation efforts in the new SMAs to mitigation credits needed for development under the extended Clark County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (Sec. 205).
Managing Play and Protection: OHV Trails and Water Works
Recognizing the demand for outdoor recreation, the Act designates four specific Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Areas totaling over 117,000 acres, including spots near Laughlin and Sandy Valley (Sec. 701). These areas are intended for managed OHV use, requiring management plans to balance recreation with protecting natural resources, and are also withdrawn from new mining claims. Beyond recreation, the bill addresses critical infrastructure needs. It directs the completion of erosion control weirs along the Lower Las Vegas Wash (Sec. 702) and allows planning updates for crucial flood control facilities potentially impacting the Coyote Springs area (Sec. 703). It also aims to streamline implementation of the Lower Virgin River watershed plan (Sec. 501), reflecting ongoing efforts to manage water resources and mitigate flood risks in the region. Finally, it reaffirms the State of Nevada's authority over fish and wildlife management on federal lands within its borders (Sec. 704).