Northern Nevada Economic Development And Conservation Act Of 2026
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2317) to provide for transfer of ownership of certain Federal lands in northern Nevada, to authorize the disposal of certain Federal lands in northern Nevada for economic…
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2317) to provide for transfer of ownership of certain Federal lands in northern Nevada, to authorize the disposal of certain Federal lands in northern Nevada for economic development, to promote conservation in northern Nevada, and for other purposes, as amended.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2317, as amended, the bill now under consideration.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I guess in continuing on the slow-but-steady progress on the theme for today, northern Nevada counties are overwhelmingly owned by the Federal Government, restricting local planners and zoners from being able to adequately serve and plan for their communities' needs.
In Pershing County, the Federal Government owns 73.3 percent of the total landmass in the county. The amount of Federal land in Pershing remains virtually unchanged because this bill has a one-to-one consolidation of checkerboard land that was done during the
1800s for railroad construction. It is literally a consolidation of the checkerboard into two pieces, one private and one public.
In Douglas County, the Federal Government owns 51.9 percent of the total landmass in the county. This bill conveys 7,777 acres to the county for flood management purposes and allows for the disposal of no more than 10,000 acres in the county. This would dispose of only 4.1 percent of Federal land in Douglas County, most of which is for public purposes.
In Lyon County, the Federal Government owns 64.8 percent of the total landmass in the county. The bill allows for the disposal of 12,085 acres of Federal land in Lyon County, decreasing the Federal estate in that particular county by 1.4 percent.
All of the parcels for conveyance, disposal, and wilderness were identified and requested by local planning and zoning authorities. That is, in all three cases, the county commissions.
The bill has been wrongly conflated to the lands provisions originally in last year's reconciliation package. To be clear, this is not what was considered during the reconciliation. The bill before you is a holistic package that balances conservation and economic development priorities for northern Nevada communities and enjoys bipartisan support in Nevada.
The bill is nearly identical to what was favorably marked up and reported out of the House Natural Resources Committee in November last year.
The largest piece of this bill, Pershing County, passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee way back in the 115th Congress, so it has been in the mix, if you will, for more than a little while.
Groups in support is a list of groups that you don't always hear talked about in support of the same thing. All counties, cities, and Tribes included in the bill not only support it, but the bill consists of requests from those entities to have these lands put into local control.
The supporting groups include: Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Coalition for Nevada's Wildlife, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Great Basin Wildlife Conservancy, Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, Nevada Sporting Dog Alliance, Northern Nevada Safari Club International, Sierra Front Muley Fanatic Foundation, Southern Coalition for Nevada's Wildlife, Truckee River Flyfishers, National Mining Association, and the Nevada Farm Bureau.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, DC, September 8, 2026.
Hon. Bruce Westerman,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter confirms our mutual
understanding regarding H.R. 2317, the ``Northern Nevada
Economic Development and Conservation Act of 2025.'' Thank
you for collaborating with the Committee on Agriculture on
the matters within our jurisdiction.
The Committee on Agriculture will forgo any further
consideration of this bill. However, by forgoing
consideration at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction
over any subject matter contained in this or similar
legislation. The Committee on Agriculture also reserves the
right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of
conferees, should it become necessary, and ask that you
support such a request.
We would appreciate a response to this letter confirming
this understanding with respect to H.R. 2317 and request a
copy of our letters on this matter be published in the
Congressional Record during Floor consideration.
Sincerely,
Glenn ``GT'' Thompson,
Chairman.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I have no objection to engaging in a colloquy.
The gentlewoman has, for purposes of the record, my commitment to do exactly that.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.