NEVADA – Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nevada) joined Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah) to sell off thousands of acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah at 11 p.m. on May 6 in the reconciliation bill. The amendment does not specify the amount of public lands for sale in Nevada. The first version of the bill did not mention any land sell-off provisions.
The changes would require the Interior Department to identify and sell off large swathes of land in counties that include Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City, and the 25,000-person town of Fernley, according to reporting by Public Domain.
This amendment sells off public lands near our communities, ignores the will of the Nevadans, including community partners, Tribes, and local governments, who all worked to protect our access and resources.
“This amendment flies in the face of what Nevadans and Westerners want, putting billions of dollars our local economy gets from the outdoor recreation economy at risk and the thousands of jobs it supports to benefit a handful of out-of-state billionaires and developers. Less than a quarter of voters support selling national public lands for housing development, and overwhelmingly believe in keeping public lands in public hands,” Kristee Watson, Nevada Conservation League executive director, said. “This threatens our Western way of life and undermines the will of the people.”
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The Nevada Conservation League is the independent voice of Nevada’s conservation community. NCL works to maintain and enhance the natural character of Nevada and the quality of life for Nevadans through effective advocacy, the election of pro-conservation candidates, and building collaboration.