Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act

Mr. President, I come to the floor with my friend and colleague from Nevada Senator Cortez Masto to seek unanimous consent to pass two noncontroversial bills as a bipartisan pair. The first is H.R. 2815. This is sponsored by Congressman Begich from Alaska. It is the identical companion to my Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act. And the second is H.R. 972, sponsored by Representative Dina Titus of Nevada. It is the identical companion to Senator Cortez Masto's Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act.

These are important bills to those in Southeastern Alaska and in Nevada. It probably won't make headlines out of those two areas, but they are very significant and important bills. After more than five decades, the Cape Fox bill will finally complete the land entitlement for the Native Village of Saxman in Southeast Alaska. The Sloan Canyon bill will facilitate construction of a water pipeline in the Las

Vegas Valley. This is critical infrastructure for hundreds of thousands of people.

These are House-passed bills, OK, so they can go directly to the President's desk to be signed into law. I mentioned that they are both noncontroversial. Their pairing is also noncontroversial. And there are no objections on the merits, on the substance, to either one of them. Both have had full process in the Senate over the course of multiple Congresses. So if these look familiar, it is because we have seen them before.

Both these bills passed the Senate by unanimous consent at the end of 2024, so over a year ago. Our cloakrooms on both sides of the aisle hotlined them again 6 weeks ago, and so that is what brings us here today as we are still trying to move them.

We have kind of gotten to a really difficult and frustrating-- frustrating, as much as anything--time in our process. People are wondering, and they are asking me--those in the Ketchikan-Saxman area: What is the holdup here? If everybody is supportive of this, why is it taking so long and proving so hard for Congress to agree on things?

I don't have a good answer on that. I am not sure that there is one. But, again, we are trying to move noncontroversial bills through a process that requires support and consent on both ends of this building. And this end of the building has said yes, and things are getting stuck over on the other side. And rather than point fingers and call names, I want to unstick things. I want to have us know that we can move these bills that are important in our communities and in our regions and they don't get taken hostage, if you will, by the other body as they are trying to figure out how they gain leverage over something else here. That is not fair to the constituents that we represent. That is not fair to the lawmakers who are working very hard to try to advance their bills. So I appreciate the discussion that I have had with my colleagues here on the floor about a way, a process, a dialogue that needs to be had with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle.

So there are a few bills that we are looking at today specifically, but I think it goes to a bigger concern that needs to be addressed in a way that is going to work for other Members who are also trying to advance their bills into full passage by law.

So my commitment to my colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle and on the Democrat side of the aisle is let's leave from here and let's make the calls to set up the sitdowns with our colleagues on the other side--in the other body--to talk about how we are going to move these in a way that is fair and does not penalize the Members, the communities. We need to do right by our own process, and I would just suggest that we need to be doing more than we are so that we are not in a situation where we are waiting months and months and months to be able to see these matters resolved.

Before I make any motion on these bills, I want to yield to Senator Cortez Masto.

Mr. President, we speak about the frustrations. There is always room for frustration around here. But I share the many concerns of my friend from California. Three of my bills and ones that he also cares about and more that I have cosponsored are also pending over there. And so this is not just the three of us sharing that we need to find a path forward, but I think it is also an effort and a need to find a path forward, working with the House to move these bills forward.

In the meantime, here in the Senate, we need to keep doing our work, but we can't forget that we have the other body that we need to have a working relationship with, and passage of the bills requires just that.

So I think, today, we want to get focused on outcomes, pushing to pass the bills where we can, however we can, whether they start with an ``H.R.'' or an ``S,'' not caring about who gets the credit but just making sure we are advancing some laws here.

Mr. President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc; further, that the bills be considered read a third time and passed en bloc and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc: H.R. 2815, Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025 and H.R. 972, Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act.

Mr. President, I want to thank not only the Senator from California but my colleague Senator Cortez Masto from Nevada as we have worked through this.

Know that the Senator from California does have my commitment to try to address not only the matters that are on your specific docket today but, again, to try and find a better path forward for all the legislation that means so much to so many of us in our communities. And I thank you for the courtesy today.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 972) to amend the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area Act to adjust the boundary of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 972, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 972, the Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act, introduced by Representative Titus.

Southern Nevada is one of the fastest growing regions in the country, and with growth comes increased demand for critical resources like drinking water.

Right now, nearly 40 percent of the Las Vegas Valley's water is carried through a single pipeline that was built in the 1990s. That is a huge vulnerability. If that line goes down, whether for repairs or due to an outage, the entire region could face a water supply crisis.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority has done its homework. After years of study and work with local stakeholders, it has proposed the Horizon Lateral pipeline to ensure a resilient and reliable water supply for families and businesses across the Las Vegas Valley. The preferred southern route of this pipeline passes under the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area. Compared to other alternatives, this alignment minimizes impacts on neighborhoods and is estimated to save taxpayers nearly $200 million.

H.R. 972 authorizes the preferred route for this pipeline through the national conservation area. This bill also expands the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area by more than 9,000 acres. The Bureau of Land Management already manages these lands, so the expansion would not add to the Federal estate.

The bill also allows materials excavated from the tunneling to be reused for infrastructure and public improvements.

This legislation is about balance. It provides the infrastructure southern Nevada needs to keep pace with growth and ensure reliable water deliveries without compromising conservation. That is the kind of practical, forward-looking management we need more of.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 972, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I am prepared to close. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 972 will ensure that the people of southern Nevada have a more reliable water supply with fewer risks of disruption. This legislation shows we can meet the needs of growing communities while being good stewards of America's public lands.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I rise today, along with my good friend and colleague from Alaska Senator Murkowski, to ask for the passage of both H.R. 2815 and H.R. 972. As the Presiding Officer has heard, they have already passed the House. There have been sets of hearings there, work to be done.

Let me talk a little bit about H.R. 972. This is the Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Water Pipeline Act. This is the same bill that this Chamber already passed by unanimous consent last Congress. And, right now, almost 40 percent of Las Vegas residents and businesses depend on the South Valley Lateral pipeline. That is one single pipeline for nearly 3 million people. And that pipeline is 25 years old. Ten years from now, it will reach 95 percent capacity, and it won't be able to safely and reliably serve Las Vegans long term.

This bill that we are, hopefully, passing today will allow the Southern Nevada Water Authority to build a new pipeline that will improve the reliability and capacity of our existing water system and protect the water supply for nearly half of our Las Vegas residents and businesses.

And if you are from the West, water is the issue. My colleague from California knows this. This is why I appreciate the conversation we have had today.

Let me just say this. As a member of leadership in the Democratic caucus as well as a member of Energy and Natural Resources and the ranking member on the Public Lands Subcommittee, I couldn't agree more with not only the comments Senator Murkowski has made about our challenges in the work we need to do to pass several pieces of legislation, in both Houses, to the benefit of our constituents and my commitment to do just that.

I also understand and respect my colleague from California. We work so closely on so many issues, from water issues to land issues. I understand his frustration. I understand his concern that there is a lack of movement with some of these important bills that we all need to work on together. So I make a commitment to him to use whatever authority and power I have to get this unstuck, to make sure that we are working together to address his concerns, which are completely valid, and to move forward as quickly as we possibly can, whether that is requiring meetings amongst the--bicameral--with the House Members of jurisdiction, making sure that, as a Senate caucus, this is a priority, working with our Republican colleagues as well.

I really appreciate the Senator bringing this to everyone's attention in the way that he has, and I think it is important for us to continue to move forward together now to follow through and unstick a lot of the challenges that we are seeing with these lands bills and bills that we need to get passed in both Chambers.

So I thank the Senator, and I will yield to Senator Murkowski.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, colleagues, I have been down here many, many times and have spoken up in committee many, many times as we try to create a better way of ensuring that we, indeed, have a fair and bipartisan and bicameral approach to consideration and passage of public lands bills.

I certainly understand my colleagues' frustration with how the public lands process is currently playing out. I am glad that they are acknowledging I, too, share that frustration. But I also can't believe we can't create a scenario where the Senate completely cedes to the House the ability to pick and choose which public lands bills are allowed to be sent to the White House.

Regardless of who is in the majority, the process has historically been both bicameral and bipartisan, and we need to get back to that.

So as I said publicly, and as I have reminded in private, my objection to

these bills is not on the substance, and my objection is not an objection forever. So I appreciate when my colleagues have offered to join me in this effort to push leadership of both parties of the committees in both Houses to convene and create that process that isn't just going to be a fair consideration of my proposals or their proposals but all the proposals that come from the Senate through the Natural Resources Committee; give them a shot for consideration on the House side and proper consideration for signature by the President of the United States.

My colleague from Alaska, not just as a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee but her leadership on the Committee of Indian Affairs--not all public lands bills involve Indian Country, but many, indeed, do, including some of mine that have been in the pipeline--I appreciate her willingness to bring her authority and role in her caucus to bear in this effort and conversation.

My colleague from the State of Nevada, not just a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee but a member of the leadership team on the Democratic side here in the Senate, I appreciate her willingness to bring her authority and power to bear in advancing this conversation.

So, for today, I shall not object on these two bills but reiterate my frustration and am glad to be joined by two additional colleagues in trying to push, again, leadership on both sides of the aisle, not just the Senate committees but the House committees, to establish a fair way forward for all Members and all of our proposals.

I yield the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 972, the Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act, introduced by the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus). This bill would expand the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area and authorize the Horizon Lateral water pipeline.

The Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area contains over 48,000 acres of the Mojave Desert, including petroglyphs, wilderness areas, and a variety of key wildlife species. The national conservation area forms the mountainous southern edge of Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada.

Representative Titus' bill balances conservation with the needs of the growing Las Vegas community. Under

this proposal, the footprint of the national conservation area would grow by nearly 20 percent, while a portion of the Southern Nevada Water Authority's Horizon Lateral water pipeline would be granted a right-of- way to tunnel underneath the conservation area.

After years of study and engagement with local stakeholders, the water authority determined this would be the safest, most effective, and least disruptive route for a key source of water in the Las Vegas Valley.

This legislation will create new opportunities for outdoor recreation and protect unique desert habitats, all while increasing water reliability for over a million southern Nevadans.

Having access to clean water is vital for communities to thrive. Those of us here in Congress know all too well how challenging it can be to ensure that happens in the face of changing populations and a changing climate.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.