Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2004

Bill: 108-s-2532
Sponsor: Sen. Ensign, John [R-NV]
Introduced: 2004-06-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Agriculture and Food
Air routes
Aircraft
Airspace (Law)
All terrain vehicles
Animals
Aquifers
Archaeology
Armed Forces and National Security
Arts, Culture, Religion
Boundaries
Cable television
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Cultural property
Department of the Interior
Economic development
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Electric power transmission
Elementary and secondary education
Emergency Management
Endangered species
Energy
Environmental Protection
Environmental assessment
Environmental monitoring
Federal-Indian relations
Fiber optics
Fire prevention
Fishing
Flood control
Forest fires
Gas pipelines
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Grazing
Groundwater
Habitat conservation
Helicopters
History
Horses
Hunting
Hydrology
Infrastructure
Intergovernmental fiscal relations
Jurisdiction
Land transfers
Land use
Law
Maps
Meteorological research
Meteorology
Military aviation
Minorities
Motor vehicles
Native Americans
Natural areas
Nature conservation
Nevada
Open space lands
Parks
Petroleum pipelines
Pipeline siting
Pipelines
Public utilities
Real estate appraisal
Relocation
Reservoirs
Right-of-way
Roads and highways
Science, Technology, Communications
Sheep
Signs and signboards
Sports and Recreation
State laws
Surveying
Traffic signs and signals
Trails
Transportation and Public Works
Trapping
Water Resources Development
Water quality
Water rights
Water supply
Wells
Wilderness areas
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife management
Wildlife refuges

Summary:
action_date: 2004-06-16
text: 
Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct specified sales of land identified for initial or annual disposal to qualified bidders. Segregates such land, with an exception, from all forms of entry and appropriation under the public land laws (including the mining laws) and operation of the mineral geothermal leasing laws. Prescribes the disposition of gross proceeds from such sales.
 
Designates certain Federal land in Nevada as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Withdraws such land from: (1) all forms of entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. Provides for continued livestock grazing within such wilderness areas administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Declares that the following BLM public land in Lincoln County has been adequately studied for wilderness designation: (1) the Table Mountain Wilderness Study Area; (2) Evergreen A, B, and C Wilderness Study Areas; and (3) parts of wilderness study areas not designated as wilderness under this Act and identified as released. Makes any such land no longer subject to requirements for the status of lands during the period of review for designation as wilderness under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. Permits: (1) management activities (including occasional and temporary use of motorized vehicles) to maintain or restore fish and wildlife populations and the habitats to support them to be carried out within wilderness areas designated by this Act; and (2) Nevada to continue to use aircraft to survey, capture, and provide water for wildlife populations. Directs the Secretary to authorize structures and facilities for wildlife water development projects, including guzzlers, in such wilderness areas.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish a specified corridor for utilities in Lincoln County and Clark County (Nevada). Authorizes the Secretary to grant rights-of-way to the Southern Nevada Water Authority and Lincoln County Water District to Federal land in those counties for roads, wells, well fields, pipes, pipelines, pump stations, storage facilities, and other facilities and systems necessary for the construction and operation of a water conveyance system. Withdraws such land from: (1) all forms of entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. 
 
Directs the Secretary to conduct a study to investigate ground water quantity, quality, and flow characteristics in the deep carbonate and alluvial aquifers of White Pine County, Nevada.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) relinquish a specified right-of-way corridor and parts of specified utility corridors (the corridor) upon receipt of a payment for its fair market value; and (2) relocate a specified part that is located in the corridor to the area located west of and parallel to the centerline of U.S. Route 93.
 
Designates a specified system of trails in Lincoln County as the &quot;Silver State Off-Highway Vehicle Trail&quot;. 
 
Authorizes the Secretary to convey specified land to Lincoln County and the State of Nevada to be used for natural resources conservation or public parks. 
 
Transfers administrative jurisdiction of specified lands between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and BLM. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-09-14
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 108-737.
action_date: 2004-06-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2004-06-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6898-6901)
action_date: 2004-06-16
text: Introduced in Senate