Federal budget would gut SNPLMA

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., is upset about the proposal to gut the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act.

On Tuesday he sent a letter to Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Senate Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Lisa Murkowski and ranking member Tom Udall to express his strong concern with the recently leaked budget proposal.

Enacted in 1998, SNPLMA is a program that allows the Bureau of Land Management to sell public land within a specific boundary around Las Vegas and the revenue generated by those sales are invested in important projects in Nevada.

Lake Tahoe has received millions of dollars from SNPLMA for water quality, storm water and fuels reduction projects.

According to Heller’s office, “Specifically, the proposal suggests rescinding $230 million from the program, generated from previous land sales within Clark County. This rescission would prohibit the Department from implementing a variety of important public works, wildfire prevention, and wildlife conservation initiatives throughout Nevada in coming years.”

— Lake Tahoe News staff report