Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act

Key Points

• The bill transfers about 48,000 acres of federal land into trust for the Moapa Band of Paiutes and the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, adding it to their reservations. The tribes keep state water rights, but the land cannot be used for casino gaming.
• It creates more than 1.5 million acres of new wilderness, including the roughly 1.28 million acre Southern Paiute Wilderness, plus nine special management areas that protect desert species and are closed to mining and new roads.
• The bill helps Las Vegas grow by letting Clark County and the Interior Secretary add up to 25,000 acres to the land disposal boundary for new homes and businesses, and it fast-tracks affordable housing land applications.
• Local governments receive free land for public services, including police and fire facilities near Mount Charleston, a North Las Vegas fire training facility, rural water infrastructure, and watershed protection land for Mesquite.
• Four new off-highway vehicle recreation areas totaling over 117,000 acres are set aside for dirt bikes, ATVs, and other off-road use, with management plans to be developed within two years.
• The bill directs construction of six erosion control weirs on the lower Las Vegas Wash within 8 years and allows new flood control facilities in a desert tortoise conservation area to protect the region from flooding.