HR2317-119

What This Bill Does

The Northern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act is a large public-lands package. It conveys about 67 acres of Forest Service land for Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park to Nevada without consideration, conveys about 7,777 acres to Douglas County for flood control, recreation, or public purposes, authorizes sales of selected federal lands including mineral rights, creates open space recreation conveyances, and transfers about 2,669 acres plus related BLM or Forest Service lands into trust for the Washoe Tribe. It lets Forest Service lands acquired under the Santini-Burton Act be conveyed to Nevada or counties for environmental quality and public recreation, directs special use permit processing for about 188 acres, designates the roughly 12,392-acre Burbank Canyons Wilderness, and preserves state wildlife jurisdiction and tribal cultural or religious uses. Other titles convey land for public purposes, flood protection, city and county development, public cemetery use, and regional public parks; direct sale or exchange of eligible and encumbered lands; allocate proceeds to Nevada education, counties, conservation, wildfire, parks, and special accounts; add wilderness areas; create a federal complex for BLM, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and Bureau of Indian Affairs offices; address the Greenlink West Project and Walker Lake parcels; finalize maps and legal descriptions; and release federal reversionary interests in certain Nevada lands at state request.

Who Benefits and How

State of Nevada agencies benefit from land conveyances, education proceeds, public park authority, and release of federal reversionary interests. Douglas County land managers benefit from no-cost land for flood control, recreation, open space, and other public purposes. Washoe Tribe land managers benefit from federal land transferred into trust and protected cultural or religious use provisions. City of Elko planners and City of Fernley planners benefit from fair-market-value conveyance authorities for local development and public purposes. Conservation groups benefit from Burbank Canyons Wilderness and additional National Wilderness Preservation System designations. Federal land management agencies benefit from a planned Nevada federal complex funded through special-account proceeds.

Who Bears the Burden and How

BLM Nevada staff must conduct sales, conveyances, appraisals, maps, legal descriptions, withdrawals, and special-account administration. Forest Service Nevada staff must convey lands, process special use applications, administer wilderness, and support the federal complex. Nevada county officials receiving land must pay survey, appraisal, environmental, administrative, and closing costs and obey use restrictions. Private land bidder staff must pay fair market value and comply with sale or exchange terms. Developers face new wilderness, public-purpose, reversionary, and proceeds restrictions on affected parcels.

Key Provisions

• Conveys Nevada federal lands to the State of Nevada, Douglas County, local governments, and the Washoe Tribe for specified public or trust purposes.
• Authorizes federal land sales and exchanges with fair-market-value payment, appraisals, cost reimbursement, and special-account proceeds.
• Designates Burbank Canyons Wilderness and other wilderness additions while preserving state wildlife jurisdiction and tribal cultural uses.
• Creates public-purpose conveyances for flood protection, cemetery use, regional parks, open space, recreation, and local development.
• Uses special-account proceeds for Nevada education, county purposes, conservation, wildfire, parks, and a federal agency complex.
• Addresses Greenlink West, Walker Lake parcels, final maps and legal descriptions, and release of federal reversionary interests.