Rep. Cresent Hardy on federal land acquisition: ‘Enough is enough’

By Amber Phillips

Wednesday, March 18, 2015 | 4:54 p.m.

WASHINGTON — For his first piece of legislation as a member of Congress, Rep. Cresent Hardy is taking on the federal government.

The Nevada Republican introduced a bill today to limit how much new land the Department of Interior and Department of Agriculture can acquire, while trying to help reduce the national debt.

If it became law, the LAND Act would prohibit both departments from buying land that adds to their total holdings in any year the federal budget is not balanced.

The goal is to keep the federal government from spending taxpayer dollars to expand its land holdings in states like Nevada, said Hardy, who was elected in November to represent North Las Vegas and central, rural Nevada.

“I’m a Nevadan. The federal government controls more than 81 percent of my state,” Hardy said as he introduced the bill in the House. “I think I speak for most of my constituents when I say, enough is enough.”

Hardy campaigned as a self-described constitutional conservative who believes the federal government has overstepped its bounds on everything from health care to taxes.

“The federal government has bitten off more than it can chew, and it cannot be trusted to serve as a responsible steward of even more of our lands and resources,” he said.

His legislation dovetails with a resolution in the Nevada Senate to transfer 7 million acres of federally owned land to the state.

Democrats and environmentalists disagree with Hardy and note Nevada already is struggling to pay its bills, without the expense of caring for more land.

The bill’s chances in this new Republican Congress are uncertain. While many Republicans in Congress oppose expanding federal government’s holdings, similar proposals introduced in the past haven’t had much luck.