Sponsor
Alice Costandina Titus
Representative · D-NV
Representative · D-NV
The bill trades accelerated permits and new regional water and utility infrastructure (and a modest expansion of protected lands) for faster land-use approvals and permissive material/ROW terms that could reduce federal revenue and environmental oversight, increasing risks to public lands and community input.
Residents and water customers in Southern Nevada (via the Southern Nevada Water Authority and local water users) gain new water delivery capacity from construction and operation of the Horizon lateral pipeline and related facilities, improving regional water reliability.
Utilities and local governments can continue to operate, replace, and maintain utility facilities within designated corridors, preserving critical utility service and reducing the risk of service disruptions during future work or development.
Rural communities near Sloan Canyon benefit from permanent protection of an additional 9,290 acres as part of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, increasing conserved public lands and recreation/landscape protections managed by the BLM.
The one-year deadline for granting rights-of-way could shorten time for full environmental review and public input, increasing the risk that mitigation and community concerns are inadequately addressed.
Granting rights-of-way and other land use permissions without rents or charges reduces potential federal revenue and may shift oversight, cleanup, or restoration costs onto taxpayers.
Construction of the pipeline and on-site disposal of tunnel and mined materials on federal land could cause temporary or lasting harm to local conservation values, wildlife habitat, and recreational lands near the project footprint.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Expands the Sloan Canyon NCA boundary and authorizes rights-of-way for SNWA's Horizon lateral pipeline, powerline, facilities, and access outside the NCA under specified protections.
Official title: Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act
Introduced February 4, 2025 by Alice Costandina Titus · Last progress May 19, 2026
Changes the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area boundary to add about 9,290 acres and authorizes the Interior Department to grant temporary and permanent rights-of-way outside the conservation area to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for a Horizon lateral water pipeline, associated powerline, facilities, and access road under specified conditions. The bill requires environmental and resource protections, preserves existing utility corridor rights, and directs the Secretary of the Interior to issue the rights-of-way within one year of enactment. The measure allows the Southern Nevada Water Authority to excavate and dispose of tunneling material at federal disposal sites identified via a required memorandum of understanding, forbids routing through designated wilderness, and keeps most existing conservation area management rules unchanged except for the boundary and the new ROW authority.