Sloan Canyon Gets Bigger, Vegas Water Pipeline Approved: Conservation Area Expands, But With a Catch

The "Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act" is a bit of a mixed bag. It expands the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area by over 9,000 acres, but it also greenlights a new water pipeline for the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) right through it.

Conservation Area Expansion: Good News for Nature?

The bill bumps up the protected area from 48,438 acres to 57,728 acres, based on a new map dated May 20, 2024 (SEC. 3). That's more land for desert wildlife and outdoor recreation – on its face, a win for conservation. But the devil, as always, is in the details, and it all depends on how this expansion is managed alongside the new pipeline.

Pipeline Through Protected Land: The Trade-Off

Here's where things get interesting. The SNWA gets a guaranteed right-of-way to build and run a water pipeline, including all the digging and construction that comes with it (SEC. 3). The Secretary of the Interior must grant this within one year of the bill passing, and SNWA won't pay a dime in rent or fees. They can even use materials they dig up during tunneling, with disposal on Federal land handled through an agreement with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Think of it like this: Imagine your neighbor gets permission to build a shortcut through your backyard. It might be convenient for them, but you'd want some serious guarantees about how they'll do it and what kind of mess they'll leave behind. The bill says the Secretary can set "reasonable terms" to protect the area and that construction shouldn't harm surface resources, but that language is open to interpretation. It also specifically states the pipeline can't go through designated wilderness areas, which provides a clear limit.

Utilities: Business as Usual (Mostly)

The bill makes it clear that existing utility corridors and rights-of-way in the Conservation Area are unaffected (SEC. 3). Companies can keep operating, maintaining, and even repairing their stuff. The Secretary can even approve new utility facilities within those existing corridors, as long as they follow environmental rules. This could mean more construction down the line, but it's limited to areas already used for utilities.

The Bottom Line

This bill is a balancing act. It expands a protected area, which is generally good, but also allows for a potentially disruptive infrastructure project within its boundaries. The real impact will depend on how strictly the "reasonable terms" for pipeline construction are enforced, and how carefully the BLM manages the disposal of excavated materials. While the expansion of the Conservation Area is a positive step, the pipeline introduces a potential risk. The key will be in the details of implementation and oversight. It is important to remember that the bill does not change the existing management of the conservation area, except for the pipeline.