Two of Rosen’s Nevada Lands Bills Receive Senate Hearing, Critical Step Toward Passing and Becoming Law

Senator Rosen's Washoe County And Carson City Lands Bills Will Boost Economic Development, Support Conservation, And Improve Public Lands Management

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining held a hearing in which they considered Senator Jacky Rosen's (D-NV) Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act, commonly referred to as the Washoe County Lands Bill, and her Carson City Public Land Correction Act. This comes after Senator Rosen sent letters to committee leadership highlighting the importance of these bills and requesting the hearing. As the state with the highest percentage of public land in the nation, Nevada relies on federal legislation to make land available for development, including affordable housing, and other public purposes, like flood and wildfire mitigation, stormwater infrastructure improvement, and recreation.

"High housing costs are making it difficult for far too many Nevadans to afford a mortgage or rent, and I'm doing everything I can to increase affordable housing options - including by making more land available for housing development to help lower costs," said Senator Rosen. "I've worked with community leaders in Washoe County and Carson City to identify land that can be responsibly developed for more affordable housing, expand access to outdoor recreation, and support economic development, while permanently protecting hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands - and making sure proceeds from land sales stay right here in our local communities. The recent committee hearing on these bills was an important step towards their becoming law, and I'll keep working to pass them."

The Carson City Public Land Correction Act will:

• Transfer nearly 1,300 acres of BLM land to Carson City for flood mitigation, recreation, water improvements, and a rifle range.
• Provide land to improve pedestrian safety and transportation infrastructure.
• Make available 360 acres of BLM land for economic development. Revenue from any sale of this land will be required to stay in Carson City to support wildfire prevention efforts, protection of environmentally sensitive land, educational projects, and wilderness conservation.
• Update the land management of some parcels previously allocated in the 2009 lands bill for Carson City, based on shifting priorities and changing needs in the community.

Senator Rosen's Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act will:

• Permanently protect more than 1,000,000 acres of public lands.
• Promote sustainable growth and economic development by directing over 15,200 acres of public lands to be made eligible for sale, all of which must be assessed for its suitability for new affordable housing. An additional 33 acres are set aside to only be sold for affordable housing. Any land sold for affordable housing would have to be sold at less than fair market value.
• Support local Tribal communities by expanding land held in trust by more than 8,400 acres for the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, 11,300 acres for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, and over 1,000 acres for the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.
• Provide local governments over 3,700 acres for public purposes such as parks, water treatment facilities, and schools. Land is specifically conveyed to Washoe County, the City of Reno, the City of Sparks, the Incline Village General Improvement District, the Gerlach General Improvement District, the State of Nevada, the Truckee River Flood Management Authority, the Washoe County School District, and the University of Nevada Reno.

As a Senator from the state with the highest percentage of public land in the country, Senator Rosen has worked tirelessly to improve access to and protection of Nevada's public lands. In addition to her Washoe County and Carson City Lands Bills, Senator Rosen also introduced her Pershing County Economic Development and Conservation Act, which would expand protections for and improve the management of federal public lands in Pershing County and create new conservation and recreation opportunities. The Pershing County bill received a Senate hearing last fall, at her urging.

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