Senate committee passes conservation, economic development bill for Southern Nevada

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today passed a bill promoting conservation and economic development in Southern Nevada.

“We have been working on this bill for years now to make sure everybody’s voice was heard,” said the bill’s sponsor, U.S. Sen Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. “We are including all of their input into this legislation.”

The designates 350,000 acres of land for conservation efforts. It also designates land for outdoor recreation, expands the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area and creates two job creation zones.

“Everything we do in Southern Nevada has to be in consultation with the federal government because they own most of the land,” Cortez Masto said. “Las Vegas is the largest metropolitan city in the country that is fully encircled by the federal land.”

Cortez Masto supported another land management bill sponsored by U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-NV., to provide conservation and economic development in Washoe County.

“This bill reflects years of collaboration with hundreds of stakeholders in Northern Nevada,” Cortez Masto said.

The bill includes 15,000 acres for economic development and creates new preservation designations, among other measures.