Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Letter to the editor:

Mesquite under siege from BLM

Well-deserved praise goes out to Sen. Catherin Cortez Masto, Rep. Steven Horsford, Gov. Steve Sisolak, Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Mesquite Mayor Al Litman, Henderson Mayor Debra March and the Moapa Band of Paiutes — all of whom stood up for Mesquite by speaking out against the Bureau of Land Management’s oil lease sales that threaten our drinking water. With them and the local community speaking up, we were able to convince the BLM to back off in November.

The November sale included over 100,000 acres in the East Mormon Mountains and Tule Desert abutting the Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area. These are some of our most popular areas for locals and visitors. These unspoiled lands surrounding our community are the reason so many of us live, work and play in Mesquite. Outdoor recreation contributes $12 billion to our economy statewide and brings many visitors here each year.

Unfortunately, these oil lease sales are not finished, and the BLM scheduled sales for Dec. 17, Feb. 11 and March 24. In each of those sales, the waters of Mesquite and Southern Nevada, as well as our favorite places to get out, will be targeted by the threat of industrialized oil and gas development.