When we are not working to defeat dangerous proposals in legislative sessions, we are working to pass laws that work for rural communities, ecosystems, and water users. That is our conservation trifecta, and we believe we have that with AB9 and AB109.
GBWN worked with Nevada Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch and Eureka County’s Jake TIbbets to present AB9 to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee late last month. The legislation will expand an existing program to allow agricultural water users to temporarily conserve water to help benefit wildlife and flows. The legislation has support from the Nevada Farm Bureau, conservation groups, and tribal governments.
We are working on amendments with other stakeholders and hoping the bill can continue to move through the legislative process.
We are still awaiting a hearing on AB109, which has growing support from rural counties, tribes and other interests who believe that all groundwater pumping in the state should be regulated.
Right now there are special carveouts in law for select industries. Playing favorites is not a way to regulate a precious resource.
Next, Sandra Jauregui, the Assembly Majority Floor Leader, introduced legislation to support public lands sell offs in Nevada, AJR10. The Joint Resolution is a mere showing of support. But when that support comes from a legislative body it comes with some cache. And the whole ploy is to use that power to tell congress to abide by Nevaada’s will and pass federal laws expediting public land sales in the state.
Selling off public lands in Vegas for more sprawl is a decades-old tradition in Nevada that bridges partisan divides. The pressure from developers to sprawl Vegas to the California border is a long-time desire that also pairs with an effort to build a second major airport in Southern Nevada in Ivanpah Valley.
The legislation in Carson City dovetails with a federal proposal that is likely to be introduced this week by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act. This will allow for the sale of approximately 30,000 acres of public land in Las Vegas and require new pipelines of Colorado River water to meet the new demands.
To logical people, it makes no sense. But logic is not a requirement to hold office.
