Sponsor
Mark E. Amodei
Representative · R-NV
Representative · R-NV
The bill shifts many federal lands into local, tribal, or municipal control to enable local conservation, hazard mitigation, recreation, and infrastructure projects — delivering local benefits and funding mechanisms while shifting upfront costs, liabilities, and decision‑making away from the federal government and reducing federal oversight, public review, and some public land protections.
Homeowners, local governments, and nearby communities gain local control of conveyed federal lands to carry out flood attenuation, riparian restoration, fuel-reduction and other hazard‑mitigation projects, reducing wildfire and flood risk.
Residents and visitors gain expanded protected lands, parks, and recreation access through wilderness designations and transfers that enable habitat restoration, park development, and green‑space preservation.
Tribal communities gain conveyed trust lands, clarified ability to negotiate compensation/fees, and strengthened legal recognition for tribal land stewardship and certain project approvals.
Local governments, counties, states and local taxpayers are required to pay all conveyance-related costs (surveys, appraisals, title work, environmental cleanup, closing fees) and in many cases fair market value, imposing large upfront fiscal burdens on local budgets.
Federal ownership and management of public lands is reduced across many parcels, which can shrink federally protected public lands, limit future conservation or recreation options, and reduce public access if lands are conveyed to private or non‑federal owners.
Several provisions waive or limit FLPMA planning, expedite sales or transfers, and deem consents or approvals in ways that reduce environmental review, public input, or competitive procedures and can create perceptions of preferential treatment.
Based on analysis of 12 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes transfers and sales of many specified federal land parcels in Nevada to state and local governments, districts, and a tribe for conservation, recreation, flood control, and public uses with conditions on costs and allowed uses.
Official title: Northern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act of 2026
Introduced March 25, 2025 by Mark E. Amodei · Last progress September 15, 2026
Transfers and authorizes the transfer of dozens of specified federal land parcels in Nevada to the State, counties, cities, special districts, and tribal interests for conservation, recreation, flood control, local public uses, and economic development. It sets conditions for transfers — including surveys, appraisals, reserved easements, permitted uses, payment of conveyance costs or fair market value, and reversion if lands are used inconsistently with authorized purposes. Also creates sale and disposal authorities for checkerboard (railroad-grant) public lands in Pershing County, provides for a Federal field-office complex funded from proceeds under the Act, preserves water-rights protections, authorizes right-of-way treatment for a transmission project if tribal trust acquisition occurs, and allows the State to clear remaining U.S. reversionary interests tied to prior patents for airport development purposes.