For many years, local leaders have discussed the need to access more land around Las Vegas and Reno. Development of those areas, they say, is the solution to Nevada's affordable housing crisis.
But how and where communities across the state can grow requires a literal act of Congress. That’s because more than 80% of the open land in Nevada is owned by the federal government — most of it overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM.
Over the years, federal lawmakers have introduced a slew of legislation aimed at opening that land for development. However, crafting proposals that satisfy developers, conservationists, Indigenous tribes, and the public is incredibly difficult.
Currently, two bills aimed at opening land in Clark and Washoe Counties are one step closer to the president’s desk.
So, what’s in them, and will it spur economic development in Nevada? Or are the Silver State’s pristine public lands in jeopardy?
Read the full bills:
S.4457 — Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act
S.3593 — Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act
Guests: Gabby Birenbaum, reporter, The Nevada Independent; Catherine Cortez Masto, U.S. senator, Nevada; Olivia Tanager, executive director, Toiyabe Chapter of The Sierra Club
