Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D-Nev.) Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with bipartisan support. The legislation will protect over 2 million acres of public land for conservation and recreation while allowing Clark County to grow responsibly, build more housing for hardworking Nevada families, and support economic development across the region. This text would be the largest conservation bill in Nevada history.
“It is undeniable that Southern Nevada is growing, and my legislation will ensure that it can grow responsibly. Together, we can help Las Vegas lower housing costs, preserve our great outdoors, and plan for a sustainable future,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’ll continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this vital bill into law.”
Cortez Masto’s legislation will allow up to 25,000 acres to be responsibly developed through a joint selection with Clark County while preserving over 2 million acres of land for conservation and outdoor recreation. It was crafted with input from conservationists, city and county officials, business leaders, tribal leaders, and wildlife and recreation interests. Specifically, the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act:
- Prioritizes the use of federal land for conservation, recreation, and other public purposes
- This text sets aside over 2 million acres of federally-owned land in Clark County for conservation, outdoor recreation, and cultural preservation.
- It includes a 56,000-acre expansion of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a 9,290-acre expansion of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, full wilderness designations to nearly 1.3 million acres of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, over 324,000 additional acres of wilderness in Clark County, and 359,000 acres for wildlife habitat preservation.
- Encourages responsible development and combats climate change
- This bill would make it easier for local governments to reserve federal land in accordance with their residential and development needs, build more housing supply, and partner with affordable housing developers.
- This text provides Clark County with the long-term planning mechanisms to implement sustainable growth, environmental mitigation, efficient water use, and clean energy development.
- Promotes Tribal Self-Governance and Economic Opportunities
- This text fosters tribal self-governance and helps enable traditional and cultural uses of tribal land through the inclusion of 45,146 acres held in trust for the Moapa Band of Paiutes and 3,156 acres for the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe.
The full text of the bill can be found here.
Senator Cortez Masto has worked across the board to strengthen and diversify Nevada’s economy and create new jobs. She’s pushing vital legislation to help create thousands of new jobs in Las Vegas at the Apex Industrial Park and to protect the water supply for more than 1 million Nevadans through the Horizon Lateral Pipeline. She’s also fought to pass legislation to upgrade American infrastructure, support Nevada’s manufacturing industry, and invest in Nevada’s booming clean-energy economy. She’s delivered $4 billion to combat drought in the states bordering the Colorado River and secured $450 million to fund large-scale water recycling projects in the West, including one that will provide water for more than 500,000 households in Southern Nevada and California.
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