Nevada senator Catherine Cortez Masto has joined a coalition of hikers, hunters, and conservationists against a federal proposal to lease land in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains for oil and gas drilling.
Masto sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service asking the agency to reject a proposal seeking opportunities for oil and gas leases on more than 50,000 acres in the range. Masto sent the letter to the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Service office in Elko.
Masto’s letter was one of thousands from individuals and groups in opposition of the proposal.
The Ruby Mountains have been affectionately referred to as the “Swiss Alps of Nevada.”
One of the few groups in support of the leases include the Elko County Commission.
The coalition, which includes conservationists and hunters alike, purchased full-page advertisements in the Elko Daily free press to urge readers to oppose the plan.