Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) applauded the U.S. Department of the Interior for committing more than $106.8 million in funding to improve Nevada’s public lands through recreational park expansions, wildlife habitat conservation and wildfire prevention efforts. The funding for these projects is made possible through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA), which ensures that revenues from public lands sales in Clark County are returned to conservation and recreation projects in Nevada, evaluated by the Bureau of Land Management and approved by the Secretary of the Interior. Prior to this announcement, the Office of the Secretary of the Interior had failed to fund any of the recommended projects for over two years, far longer than any previous administration.
“From the safe disposal of hazardous fuels that could feed wildfires to conservation projects and improvements for the Hoover Dam visitor center and hiking trails around Nevada, projects funded by SNPLMA improve the quality of life for those who live in and visit the Silver State. I’m glad these long-overdue funds are finally being returned to the state and invested in projects that will make Nevada healthier and more sustainable. I’ll continue to fight to defend Nevada’s public lands and open spaces and ensure our state is getting the funding it deserves.”
BACKGROUND:
Senator Cortez Masto has repeatedly fought against the Trump Administration’s calls to drain funds from the SNPLMA special account and called for the protection of this important funding for the State of Nevada. This year, she also sent a letter with Senator Jacky Rosen requesting SNPLMA funds be preserved within the 2019 appropriations bills.
The entities receiving money from this round of SNPLMA funding include: the City of North Las Vegas, White Pine County, City of Las Vegas, Clark County, Lincoln County, City of Henderson, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District.
The funding approved by Interior Secretary Bernhardt will benefit projects in the following areas:
|
Expenditure Category |
Total Funding |
|
Parks, Trails, and Natural Areas |
$26,796,123 |
|
Capital Improvements |
$27,720,465 |
|
Conservation Initiatives |
$13,271,086 |
|
Environmentally Sensitive Land Acquisitions |
$21,645,600 |
|
Hazardous Fuels Reduction & Wildfire Prevention |
$5,082,290 |
|
Eastern Nevada Landscape Restoration Project |
$6,157,618 |
|
Multi-species Habitat Conservation Plan |
$1,192,071 |
|
Category Totals |
$101,865,253 |
|
Special Account Reserve |
$5,000,000 |
|
Total Round 17 Recommendation |
$106,865,253 |
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