Congress will get peek at Nev. land transfer bill
By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal
The House Committee on Natural Resources will get a sneak-peek at a bill that would transfer millions of acres of federal land to the state of Nevada.
Mark Amodei
The committee scheduled a hearing for today on H.R. 1484, the Honor the Nevada Enabling Act of 1864.
The bill by Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, is controversial because conservation groups say it would undermine important federal oversight on land throughout the state.
Proponents say it would provide state and local officials more control over public land. Currently the federal government owns about 85 percent of land in Nevada, among the highest percentage of any state.