To amend the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area Act to adjust the boundary of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Passed HouseReceived; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy …
Passed House (inferred from eh version)
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the …
Ms. Titus introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill expands the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada from 48,438 acres to 57,728 acres, adding approximately 9,290 acres of protected land. It also authorizes the Southern Nevada Water Authority to build and operate the Horizon Lateral Pipeline through or near the conservation area to improve water transmission for the Las Vegas metropolitan area.
Who Benefits and How
The Southern Nevada Water Authority receives significant benefits: rent-free rights-of-way for water pipeline infrastructure, permission to excavate and use materials without charge, and bypasses of normal federal land use planning requirements. Southern Nevada residents benefit from improved water transmission capacity in a water-scarce region. Conservation advocates benefit from the expanded protected area boundary. Existing utility companies with transmission corridors in the area are protected from losing their rights.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers effectively subsidize the project through forgone rental charges and material fees that would normally be collected for use of federal land. The Bureau of Land Management faces additional administrative burden managing the expanded conservation area and processing the new rights-of-way. While wilderness areas are protected, some environmental groups may have concerns about pipeline construction impacts on conservation lands.
Key Provisions
- Expands the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area boundary by approximately 9,290 acres
- Grants the Southern Nevada Water Authority rent-free rights-of-way for the Horizon Lateral Pipeline within 1 year of enactment
- Allows excavation and disposal of sand, gravel, and minerals from pipeline tunneling without charge
- Protects existing utility transmission corridors and rights-of-way in the area
- Requires that pipeline construction not permanently damage surface resources or pass through designated wilderness areas
- Mandates a memorandum of understanding between Interior Department and the Water Authority for material disposal
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Expands the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada by approximately 9,290 acres and grants the Southern Nevada Water Authority rights-of-way for water pipeline infrastructure through and near the conservation area.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Balance conservation area expansion with water infrastructure development needs for Southern Nevada"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Southern Nevada Water Authority (receives free rights-of-way for water pipeline infrastructure)
- Southern Nevada residents (improved water transmission capacity)
- Conservation advocates (expanded conservation area boundary)
- Bureau of Land Management (receives disposed excavation materials)
Likely Burden Bearers
- Federal taxpayers (forgone rent/charges for rights-of-way)
- Bureau of Land Management (administrative burden of managing expanded area and rights-of-way)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_authority"
- → Southern Nevada Water Authority
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area
The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology