Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act

This bill expands the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area and sets rules for a new water pipeline route nearby. It increases the protected area from 48,438 acres to 57,728 acres, adding about 9,290 acres to the boundary. It also directs federal land managers to allow the Southern Nevada Water Authority to build and operate a water pipeline, plus related power lines, facilities, and access roads along a set route outside the conservation area, within one year of the bill becoming law and without paying rent or other charges.

The water authority can dig and use or dispose of materials from tunnel work, and within 30 days of the route being granted, must work with the Interior Department to choose federal land where those materials can be placed to support land management needs. The route must avoid wilderness areas, cannot permanently harm surface resources, and can include reasonable protections for the conservation area. Existing utility corridors and lines remain in place, and new utility lines can still be approved within those existing corridors after environmental review. Aside from the pipeline provisions, current management rules for the conservation area do not change.

Key points

• What changes: Adds about 9,290 acres to the conservation area; authorizes a set route for a water pipeline and related utilities outside the area; allows excavation and disposal of tunnel materials with a quick follow-up agreement on where to place them .
• Who is affected: The Southern Nevada Water Authority; federal land managers; utilities using existing corridors near the conservation area .
• When: The pipeline route must be granted within one year after the bill becomes law; the materials-disposal agreement must be signed within 30 days after the route is granted .