Law dumps land swaps by BLM

After three years and numerous delays a bill that directs the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada to sell land at auction to the highest bidder rather than to swap it for other land passed the U.S. Senate Friday.

The new law requires local governments to approve the sale of land in it jurisdiction.

"The passage of this bill will make a tremendous difference in local government's ability to plan for future growth," said Clark County Commission Chair Yvonne Atkinson Gates.

Gates praised Nevada delegates from both parties for working to get the bill passed and said Friday's action was "a great day for our community."

The Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act does away with the controversial method now in place, which is for the BLM to trade its land for environmentally sensitive land of equal value owned by developers.

The land-swap transactions often sparked uproars from environmentalists and others who complained about unfairness in the deals.

Supporters of the new bill say it will ensure land brings fair market value.

Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., was the Senate sponsor of the bill and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. a co-sponsor. Rep. John Ensign, R-Nev., was the sponsor of the bill in the House, which has already given its approval.

It must now go to President Clinton for his signature.

About 20,000 acres of federally owned land in Las Vegas Valley will be eligible for the auction block, according to a spokesman for Bryan.

Brent Heberlee, who helped write the bill, said the taxpayer will get a better return and the BLM will be able to use proceeds from the sales to get more environmentally sensitive land.

The parcels of land range from a couple of acres to a couple of thousand and could eventually be worth $1 billion.

Revenue from the sale of the land will be placed in a special federal account in the state, and it will be spent in Nevada not only to buy other land but also to pay for schools, water development and improvements at federal parks and recreation areas, such as Red Rock Canyon and Spring Mountain.

Of the money from the land sales, 10 percent will be go to the Southern Nevada Water Authority to help build a water pipeline now under construction and 5 percent will go to the state of Nevada for educational programs and to benefit local governments.

County Commissioner Mary Kincaid, chair of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said "Our unprecedented growth has put a strain on infrastructure and especially our water delivery system. This bill will go a long way to help our valley deal with these changes by bringing additional funding directly to our much-needed water system improvements.

Heberlee said the local government in whose jurisdiction the federal land lies has the authority to say whether the land may be sold.

"This will provide a tool for local government to better manage growth in Las Vegas," said Heberlee.

Bryan called the legislation a "milestone."

"For the first time the disposition of federal land in Nevada will be handled by public auction and all of the proceeds will remain in Nevada rather than being allocated by a federal bureaucracy in Washington," said Bryan. "For Southern Nevadans who enjoy the outdoors, whether it's Red Rock, Spring Mountain Range or the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, badly needed improvements to make those visitor experiences more enjoyable can now be funded from the proceeds of these land sales."

Bryan said additional recreation resources can be acquired under the provisions of the law.

"From the standpoint of planning for the growth that is occurring in Las Vegas Valley, this legislation strengthens the hand of local government in the planning process because land sales of public lands will not occur without the concurrence of the affected local entity," added Bryan.

Reid said the Nevada delegation worked for years on the bill.

"One of the problems we have had in getting this bill passed is that federal bureaucrats and some Congressional leaders have targeted Nevada lands as a potential revenue source for their federal spending projects," said Reid.

Ensign called the bill "Good for our schools, it's good for our environment, and it's good for taxpayers."

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