Amodei speaks on controversial lands amendment

CHANNEL 8 NEWS

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KOLO) – The United States House Natural Resources Committee approved an amendment to the U.S. Budget Reconciliation Package on Tuesday, May 6. A portion of the amendment proposed by Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT) mandates the sale of Nevada’s public lands.

Local officials, tribal leaders and conservation advocates are condemning Amodei’s amendment to the budget reconciliation package that will authorize the selling-off of public lands in four Nevada counties, Clark, Lyon, Washoe, and Pershing.

“On Tuesday at midnight, public land owners got punched in the mouth pretty good,” said Russell Kuhlman, Executive Director of Nevada Wildlife Federation.

“Hundreds of thousands of acres are going to be sold to fund tax cuts for billionaires,” added Olivia Tanager, the Director of the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter.

Amodei sent a statement to KOLO 8 News Now:

“This week, the House Natural Resources Committee advanced our portion of the budget reconciliation bill, delivering on the Administration’s commitment to curb reckless spending, steward taxpayer dollars responsibly, and identify smart investments. Our contributions will generate a total of $18.5 billion in savings, well beyond our $1 billion target.

“In addition to these historic savings, my Nevada-centric lands amendment was included in the package. The reality is, most of my colleagues don’t fully grasp the unique challenges Nevada faces as a state that is 80% federally owned. For years, folks from my district, and even across district lines, have voiced serious concerns about how these vast stretches of public land could threaten Nevada’s economic momentum and competitiveness if we run out of usable acreage.

“With Republicans holding only a slim majority, the reconciliation process presented a rare vehicle to advance these land disposal requests and ensure the priorities of our county commissions were heard. This is only the first step in our efforts to support responsible development in our state while also delivering a meaningful return for the American taxpayer.”

However, opponents said it requires thousands of acres of public land to be sold, without proceeds earmarked for Nevada and land conservation.

“If the public was able to have any input into this decision, they would have said hell no,” said Tanager.

“This is truly just a sale of our lands,” said Alexis Hill, the Chair of Washoe County Commissioners. “No conversation pieces, no tribal members were considered. I was not called by any congressional office.”

Washoe County Commissioner Hill worries this legislation works against efforts to support tribal communities, water quality and fire prevention. “The proceeds will go towards the richest community members in the United States so they do not have to pay taxes to make this a great country. That is very concerning to us. As part of the Jacky Rosen Bill, part of the proceeds would go to fire prevention, the Truckee River and none of that is going back into our communities.”

Chair Steven Wadsworth, the Tribal Chairman of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe said he was not warned or included in discussions about the amendment and worries history could repeat itself. “With something like this land grab, where was that relationship? Where was that consultation? It went out the window,” said Wadsworth. “They waved bye-bye to us and that to us is probably the most disheartening thing because if there was some way for the tribe to be involved to protect anything, we need to be given that choice. With something like this, we were not given that choice.”

“Newly released maps confirm the proposal targets areas near Avi Kwa Ame and Gold Butte, an estimated 12,000 acres in Fernley—including land that borders the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation—and an estimated 15,000 acres in Washoe County,” said Native Voters Alliance Nevada. “Even more land is flagged as “eligible for disposal” in future federal land management plans.”

Taylor Patterson, Executive Director of Native Voters Alliance Nevada sent a statement to KOLO 8 News Now:

“Let’s call this what it is: a coordinated land grab. It was planned behind closed doors, dropped at midnight, and aimed directly at Tribal homelands.

“We’ve seen the maps. This isn’t theoretical. It is targeted. Lands near Avi Kwa Ame and Gold Butte are in the crosshairs. So are scattered parcels across Clark County. In Fernley, the disposal zone pushes right up against the boundary of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, a calculated move that shows how close they’re willing to get.”

Those who oppose the bill said the fight is not over. They will be sending people to Washington to speak to Amodei and Nevada representatives to demand a change to the bill.