FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 25, 2002
NEWS RELEASE
|
Date: Time: Place: |
March 8, 2002 9 a.m. Reno City Council Chambers 490 South Center Street Reno, Nevada |
Contact: |
Linda Eissmann, Committee Staff
Director Legislative Committee on Public
Lands Carson City,
Nevada 89701-4747 (775) 684-6825 |
PUBLIC LANDS COMMITTEE TO
MEET IN RENO
Senator Dean A. Rhoads
(R-Tuscarora), Chairman, is pleased to announce that Nevada’s Legislative
Committee on Public Lands will hold its fourth meeting of the 2001-2002
Legislative Interim at the Reno City Council Chambers on Friday, March 8, 2002,
at 9 a.m. An agenda is attached to
this news release.
According to Senator Rhoads,
the Public Lands Committee was created in 1983, as a permanent Committee of the
Nevada Legislature. Its purposes
are to review and comment on federal land management policies and practices, and
to provide a forum for the discussion of public lands matters. The Committee holds meetings throughout
Nevada during the interim period, and looks to local governments and residents
to provide information that may be used for future legislation or other
legislative actions.
“Every county in Nevada has
considerable public lands within their jurisdiction,” noted Rhoads. “Issues relating to the management of
these lands may be unique to each county, or they may be common throughout
Nevada. Either way, the
Legislature’s Public Lands Committee wants to know what they are and how we
might provide assistance or support to our local governments.” Typical public lands topics may address
grazing, mining, public access, recreation, water rights, wildfire suppression,
and a variety of natural resource and land use topics.
Reno’s meeting will begin
with several briefings about subjects of local concern to western Nevada,
including Carson City and Douglas, Lyon, Storey, and Washoe Counties. The Committee will receive updates
of public lands issues from each of these counties and from representatives of
the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.
The Committee will also be
briefed about energy development on public lands in Nevada from the Bureau of
Land Management. “Energy
development has become an important topic in recent months. In Nevada, this development is highly
dependent on public lands and can provide economic benefit, particularly to
rural communities,” Rhoads explained.
“Whether we’re talking about renewable energy exploration, the
construction of power plants, or the location of transmission lines, cooperation
from land management agencies is necessary.”
A presentation will then be
made by the State Department of Agriculture about the State Grazing Plan,
and Nevada’s Division of Wildlife will discuss the status of sage grouse and
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout in Nevada.
Rhoads explained, “Our state agencies do an outstanding job of
managing Nevada’s natural resources, including those on public lands. The Committee relies heavily on their
expertise.”
The Committee will also
discuss the statutes and regulations affecting groundwater quality and quantity
in Nevada, including the adequacy of water quality data and the way in which
land division laws affect water quality and quantity. “As Nevada continues to grow, this
growth often has implications on the quality of our groundwater supply,”
Rhoads noted.
“Because groundwater is the source of so much of our drinking
water in Nevada, we need to be certain that we do everything possible to
maintain its quantity and preserve its quality.”
Finally, the Committee will
receive reports about the status of two court cases pertaining to water rights
on public lands.
The other members of the
Public Lands Committee are Assemblyman John W. Marvel, Vice Chairman
(R-Battle Mountain); Senator Terry Care (D‑Las Vegas); Senator Mark A.
James (R‑Las Vegas); Assemblyman Tom Collins (D‑Las Vegas); Assemblyman P.M. “Roy”
Neighbors (D‑Tonopah); and Eureka County Commissioner Peter J.
Goicoechea.