Legislation determining how public lands should be used isn't exactly glamorous. Yet, it's extremely important in a place like Southern Nevada, where a majority of the public land is federally owned and managed. Elected officials in the greater Las Vegas metropolitan area can't make plans for the land surrounding their city until they've gotten approval through the federal government.
Thus, the need for legislation such as the proposed Clark County public lands bill, also known as the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act or "SNEDCA." Remember that one? U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and Representative Dina Titus, both of Nevada, introduced the bill back in 2021.
The original proposal ultimately failed — but not before stirring up its share of controversy. Conservationists and environmental justice activists didn't like elements of the plan that they saw as promoting harmful urban sprawl. When Nevada's elected leaders modified the bill in an attempted compromise, Clark County, which had been working on the plan for decades, withdrew its support.
Now, the bill is back. it's got some familiar elements and some new ones. KNPR's State of Nevada takes a look at the details of the new proposal and learns where it goes from here.
Guest: Vinny Spotleson, chair, Sierra Club’s Toiyabe Chapter
