The Senate passed a bill Friday that will create the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument in the far northeastern side of Las Vegas valley.
It was part of the defense spending bill that had to be passed before the holiday break. It now moves to the president’s desk to be signed.
The designation takes in more than 22,000 acres that includes tens of thousands of ice age fossils. Paleontologists estimate the site could contain hundreds of thousands of bones showing the past quarter million years of the earth’s history.
“I am pleased the Senate passed this important lands package with bipartisan support. The Nevada legislation included in this package has been built on many years of hard work and collaboration by Nevadans, and I am proud to have worked with such a diverse set of people in my state to pass legislation that both protects some of our most spectacular places and strengthens our state’s economy,” Sen. Harry Reid, D - NV said in a statement following the vote.
The same land bill also creates wilderness areas in Lyon and Humbolt counties. It also opens more land for economic development.
The defense part of the bill also provides $51 million to Naval Air Station Fallon and nearly $54 million to Nellis Air Force Base for construction projects, according to the Sen. Harry Reid's office.
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