S. 1005 — Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act

This section transfers approximately 44,950 acres of land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation in southern Nevada—as generally depicted on the map entitled “Southern Nevada Land Management” dated November 14, 2024—into trust for the Moapa Band of Paiutes for inclusion in the tribe's reservation, subject to valid existing rights (including for water/wastewater and electric facilities) and a reserved federal electric transmission corridor right-of-way (with post-enactment payments directed to the tribe). The section further requires the Secretary of the Interior to complete a boundary survey within 60 days of enactment; prohibits class II and class III gaming on the trust land; and specifies that the transfer creates no federal reserved rights to surface water or groundwater while preserving the tribe's rights or claims to water under state law.

This section places approximately 196 acres of land held in fee by the Tribe, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Southern Nevada Land Management” dated November 14, 2024, into trust by the United States for the benefit of the Tribe and declares it part of the Tribe's reservation. The section further requires the Secretary to complete a survey establishing the land's boundaries not later than 180 days after the date of enactment.

This section transfers approximately 3,156 acres of Bureau of Land Management-administered land in southern Nevada, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Southern Nevada Land Management” and dated November 14, 2024, into trust for the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, designating it as part of the tribe's reservation subject to valid existing rights. The section further (1) directs the Secretary to complete a boundary survey within 180 days of enactment; (2) requires the tribe to grant a 300-foot-wide right-of-way to a qualified electric utility within 30 days after the transfer for high-voltage transmission facilities consistent with existing tribal agreements on the Snow Mountain Reservation; (3) declares the land ineligible for class II gaming or class III gaming, as defined in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act; (4) states that the transfer neither affirms nor denies federal reserved water rights but preserves the tribe's rights or claims to water under state law; (5) preserves the tribe's March 2021 intergovernmental agreement with the City of Las Vegas; and (6) strikes subsection (d) of Section 3092 of the Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015.

This section revises Section 102 of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Protection and Enhancement Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-282) by (1) defining "associated supportive use" as a use that supports the overall function and enjoyment of a public park; (2) defining "public park" to include land developed or managed by a partnership between Clark County, Nevada, and a private entity for recreational uses and associated supportive uses, including uses that require a fee for admittance or use of property within the public park; and (3) redesignating existing paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) as paragraphs (2), (4), and (5), respectively.

This section revises the boundary of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area to approximately 253,950 acres (from approximately 195,620 acres), as generally depicted on the map entitled “Southern Nevada Land Management” and dated November 14, 2024. (Thus, the expansion adds approximately 58,330 acres of public lands in southern Nevada to the area managed by the Bureau of Land Management for conservation and recreation.)

This section extends the land disposal authority under Section 4(a) of the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 (SNPLMA) to November 14, 2024 (from September 17, 2012), and requires the Secretary of the Interior and Clark County to jointly nominate not more than 25,000 acres from land depicted on the map as the “Proposed Expanded Las Vegas Disposal Boundary” for addition to the disposal boundary. (SNPLMA authorizes the Bureau of Land Management to sell public lands in Clark County, Nevada, with proceeds shared between the state and county for capital improvements and natural resource protection.) The section further authorizes the Secretary, for lands acquired under SNPLMA or the Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002, to permit owners of the surface estate to move or dispose of common varieties of sand and gravel for recontouring, balancing the surface, or filling utility trenches. Not later than 180 days after enactment, the section directs the Secretary to offer Clark County an agreement authorizing the county to implement management modifications on lands conveyed to it under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.)—for public safety facilities (including flood control and water management), parks, and educational facilities—without further Secretary approval, consistent with that Act. Finally, the section amends Section 7(b) of SNPLMA to require the Secretary to prioritize review of local government applications for affordable housing land use over other disposal applications and to complete all reviews (including by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, if applicable) within 180 days of submission.

This section revokes any portion of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) designation of the Ivanpah Area of Critical Environmental Concern, dated February 14, 2014, in Clark County, Nevada, not included within one of nine special management areas. This section designates the following special management areas on BLM-administered federal land in Clark County, as generally depicted on maps entitled “Southern Nevada Land Management” dated November 14, 2024: (1) Stump Springs Special Management Area (~140,976 acres); (2) Bird Springs Valley Special Management Area (~39,327 acres); (3) Desert Tortoise Protective Corridor Special Management Area (~45,881 acres); (4) Jean Lake Special Management Area (~2,645 acres); (5) Gale Hills Special Management Area (~16,355 acres); (6) California Wash Special Management Area (~10,120 acres); (7) Bitter Springs Special Management Area (~61,813 acres); (8) Muddy Mountains Special Management Area (~33,430 acres); and (9) Mesa Milkvetch Special Management Area (~8,417 acres). The special management areas must be managed in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to conserve, protect, and enhance cultural, archaeological, natural, wilderness, scientific, geological, historical, biological, wildlife (including species covered by the Clark County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan and federal incidental take permit), educational, and scenic resources, allowing only consistent uses. (Thus, motorized vehicle use is limited to designated roads and routes per the required management plan, except for administrative or emergency purposes; no new permanent or temporary roads may be constructed after enactment.) The BLM must prepare, file, and make publicly available maps and legal descriptions of the areas and, in consultation with the county, may correct minor errors.

This section directs the Secretary, upon receipt from Clark County of a complete application to amend its Federal incidental take permit and the Clark County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP)—incorporating Special Management Areas established by section 204(b) and the related management plan—to (1) credit approximately 358,954 acres of those areas, as depicted on the map entitled “Southern Nevada Land Management” and dated November 14, 2024, as mitigation to offset additional incidental take impacts from development under the existing or amended MSHCP, as determined using the best available scientific and commercial information; and (2) extend the MSHCP and permit for the maximum authorized duration, in accordance with this Act, NEPA, the Endangered Species Act, and other applicable laws. (The Clark County MSHCP is a regional habitat conservation plan under the Endangered Species Act authorizing incidental take permits for multiple listed and other species in connection with development across Clark County, Nevada.) Nothing in this Act otherwise limits, alters, modifies, or amends the MSHCP.

This section designates the peak of Frenchman Mountain in the state located at latitude 36°10′31″45″ N, longitude 114°59′31″52″ W as “Maude Frazier Mountain” and directs that any reference to such peak in a federal law, map, regulation, document, record, or other paper be deemed a reference to “Maude Frazier Mountain”.

This section expands the availability of the special account under the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 to the Tule Springs Fossil Bed National Monument, in addition to the Great Basin National Park and other areas. (The special account funds proceeds from public land sales in southern Nevada for specified federal purposes, including capital improvements at designated parks and recreation areas.)

This section expands the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area—established to conserve cultural, archaeological, natural, wilderness, scientific, geological, historical, biological, wildlife, educational, and scenic resources—by revising the boundary map to one entitled “Proposed Sloan Canyon Expansion” dated May 20, 2024 (from “Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act” dated October 1, 2002), and increasing designated acreage to 57,728 acres (from 48,438 acres). The section further (1) directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land Management, to grant the Southern Nevada Water Authority, without rents or charges and within one year of enactment, temporary and permanent rights-of-way within the Conservation Area for a water pipeline (Horizon lateral) and outside the area for related powerlines, facilities, and access roads—subject to terms protecting area resources, no permanent adverse surface impacts, and avoidance of wilderness—to enable geotechnical investigations, construction, and operations, including excavation and disposal of tunneling materials via a required memorandum of understanding; (2) subjects the expansion to valid existing rights in designated utility corridors and rights-of-way approved prior to enactment, without precluding their authorized activities or new utility rights-of-way in those corridors consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act and other laws; and (3) preserves existing Conservation Area management authorities except as modified by the new right-of-way provision.

This section directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey, without consideration and notwithstanding land use planning and multiple sales requirements under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712, 1713), approximately 350 acres of federal land in Sloan, Nevada (Job Creation Zone), to Clark County upon request and subject to valid existing rights. The section authorizes the county to (1) sell, lease, or convey portions of the zone for nonresidential development at fair market value, with proceeds distributed under section 4(e) of the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998; (2) retain parcels for recreation or public purposes under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.) upon notice to the Secretary; and (3) manage the zone in accordance with federal airport noise compatibility requirements (49 U.S.C. 47504), including restrictions in any county conveyance. Any parcel not developed or reserved within 30 years of enactment, or used inconsistently with these terms, reverts to the United States at the Secretary's discretion.

This section amends section 202(a) of the Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002 to expand seven existing wilderness areas by adding approximately 127,563 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land (10,095 acres in para. (3); 3,789 acres in para. (4); 19,716 acres in para. (5); 33,164 acres in para. (11); 30,134 acres in para. (12); 29,966 acres in para. (16); and 699 acres in para. (17)) and to designate certain federal lands as (19) Mount Stirling Wilderness (72,942 acres managed by BLM and Forest Service); (20) Gates of the Grand Canyon Wilderness (91,963 acres managed by National Park Service); (21) New York Mountains Wilderness (14,459 acres of BLM land incorporated into the Mojave Wilderness); (22) Piute Mountains Wilderness (7,520 acres of BLM land incorporated into the Mojave Wilderness); (23) Southern Paiute Wilderness (1,276,246 acres managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service); and (24) Lucy Gray Wilderness (9,601 acres of BLM land)—all as generally depicted on the map entitled “Southern Nevada Land Management” dated November 14, 2024. Subsection (b) provides that, for administering these wilderness additions, any reference in the Wilderness Act to its effective date is deemed to be the date of enactment (subject to valid existing rights and notwithstanding section 203(a) of the Clark County Act).

This section authorizes the Secretary to convey, without consideration and at the request of the City of Boulder City, Nevada, all right, title, and interest of the United States in specified federal land (as described in item 2 under exhibit B of Patent Nev–048100, pursuant to P.L. 85-339), subject to valid existing rights and continued administrative authority by the Secretary. The conveyance includes a reversionary interest to the United States, at the Secretary's discretion if deemed in the national interest, should the land cease to be used for its intended public purpose; the city is responsible for remediating any hazardous waste contamination prior to reversion.

This section authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to convey, without consideration and notwithstanding the land use planning requirements of sections 202 and 203 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712, 1713), approximately 250 acres of federal land in Nevada—as generally depicted on the map entitled “City of Mesquite, River Park” dated November 18, 2024—to the City of Mesquite for developing and implementing a watershed management plan to protect the Virgin River watershed, subject to a federal reversionary interest if the land ceases such use (with the city responsible for any hazardous waste remediation). The Secretary must finalize legal descriptions via survey, make minor corrections as needed, and file the map and descriptions for public inspection in the Bureau of Land Management's Las Vegas Field Office.

This section authorizes the Secretary concerned to convey, notwithstanding the land use planning requirements of sections 202 and 203 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712, 1713), approximately 141.1 acres of specified federal land in Clark County, Nevada, to the county without consideration after completion of any required environmental analysis, including under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and consistent with the Recreation and Public Purposes Act (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.). The parcels consist of (1) a 12-acre parcel and a 1.5-acre parcel at Mount Charleston for police and fire facilities; and (2) 127.6 acres for public safety training facilities. As conditions of conveyance, the county must pay all survey and associated costs; the Secretary must prepare and make available legal descriptions and maps (with authority to correct minor errors) in appropriate Bureau of Land Management or Forest Service offices; and conveyed parcels revert to the United States, at the Secretary's discretion if in the national interest, if no longer used for the specified public purposes (with the county responsible for any hazardous waste remediation).

This section authorizes the Secretary, at the request of the Moapa Valley Water District and without consideration, to convey approximately 121 acres of federal land in Nevada—as generally depicted on the map entitled “Moapa Valley Water District–Facilities and Land Conveyances” (dated November 18, 2024)—notwithstanding Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) land use planning requirements (43 U.S.C. 1712, 1713), for construction, operation, and maintenance of water conveyance infrastructure serving Logandale, Overton, Glendale, and Moapa, Nevada. If any parcel is subject to transfer benefiting the Tribe (as defined in section 101(a)), the Secretary conveys a right-of-way for such infrastructure instead; the land reverts to the United States, at the Secretary's discretion if in the national interest, if it ceases the specified use, with the District responsible for any hazardous waste remediation.

This section authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to convey, without consideration, approximately 10 acres of federal land in North Las Vegas, Nevada—as generally depicted on the map entitled “North Las Vegas Fire Department Training Facility” (dated November 18, 2024)—to the city for construction, operation, and maintenance of a fire training facility to support public safety and fire response, notwithstanding the land use planning requirements of sections 202 and 203 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712, 1713) and consistent with the Recreation and Public Purposes Act (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.). The city must pay all survey and associated conveyance costs; the Secretary must finalize legal descriptions and make them and the map publicly available (with authority to correct minor errors); and the land reverts to the United States, at the Secretary's discretion, if it ceases the approved public use (with the city responsible for any hazardous waste remediation).

This section revises sec. 3(d)(3) of the Mesquite Lands Act of 1988 (P.L. 99-548) by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B), inserting as subparagraph (A) a provision for the development and implementation of a watershed plan for the Lower Virgin River, and redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (B).

This section revises the definition of the Transition Area under the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-11) to approximately 742 acres of federal land in Henderson, Nevada, identified as “Subject Area” on the map entitled “Limited Transition Area (LTA) 2023 Amendment” dated November 18, 2024, excluding the east 100 feet of the NW 1/4 sec. 21, T. 23 S., R. 61 E. (identified as “NV Energy Utility Corridor”). (The Transition Area consists of public lands conveyed to the City of Henderson primarily for development.) It further amends land use and retention provisions for the conveyed land as follows: (1) authorizes the City to sell, lease, or otherwise convey portions for nonresidential development or limited residential development that augments and integrates with nonresidential development and is not freestanding, at fair market value, and incorporates applicable State law; (2) allows the City to retain parcels for public recreation or other public purposes under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.) by providing written notice to the Secretary, or for any other City use by providing notice and fair market value consideration (subject to disposition under existing paragraph (2)(D)); and (3) makes conforming changes to withdrawal and availability provisions.

This section establishes four off-highway vehicle recreation areas on approximately 117,576 acres of Bureau of Land Management-administered federal land in Nevada, subject to valid existing rights and rights-of-way for Moapa Valley Water District facilities as depicted on a map dated November 13, 2019: (1) Laughlin Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area (13,050 acres), (2) Logandale Trails Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area (21,729 acres), (3) Nelson Hills Off-Highway Recreation Area (43,775 acres), and (4) Sandy Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area (39,022 acres), as generally depicted on maps entitled "Southern Nevada Land Management" and dated November 14, 2024. The purposes of the areas are to preserve, protect, and enhance off-highway vehicle use, other appropriate activities, and scenic, watershed, habitat, cultural, historic, and ecological resources for present and future generations. Not later than two years after enactment, the Secretary of the Interior must develop a comprehensive long-term management plan for each area in accordance with applicable law and after consulting appropriate state, tribal, and local governmental entities and the public. The Secretary must manage the areas to support these purposes and in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and other applicable laws, permitting motorized vehicles only on roads and trails designated in the management plans (with interim management under existing requirements and authority to close roads or trails for natural resources or public safety); the section preserves existing and authorizes new utility facilities and transportation corridors within designated corridors subject to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and other laws. Subject to valid existing rights, all federal land within the areas and the Nellis Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area (previously established under 16 U.S.C. 460aaaa) is withdrawn from appropriation or disposal under public land laws, location/entry/patent under mining laws, and operation of mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. As soon as practicable after enactment, the Secretary must finalize legal descriptions of the areas (correcting minor map or description errors), with maps and descriptions available for public inspection in appropriate Bureau of Land Management offices and having the same legal effect as if included in the Act.

This section directs the Secretary to complete construction of 6 unfinished erosion control weirs on the lower Las Vegas Wash within Lake Mead National Recreation Area, as identified in the Federal Highway Administration's “2010 Lower Las Vegas Wash Planning Study,” subject to valid existing rights, appropriations, and applicable laws. Congress intends completion by not later than 8 years after enactment.

This section directs the Secretary to amend the 1998 Las Vegas Resource Management Plan to allow the design and construction of flood control facilities in the Coyote Springs Desert Tortoise Area of Critical Environmental Concern, as described in the most recent update of the Las Vegas Valley Master Plan for Flood Control Facilities developed by the Regional Flood Control District and generally depicted on the map entitled “Regional Flood Control District Master Plan Facilities in the Coyote Springs Area of Critical Environmental Concern” attached to that update. (As background, Bureau of Land Management resource management plans govern public land uses, and areas of critical environmental concern restrict activities to protect sensitive resources such as the desert tortoise.)