Amodei concentrates almost entirely on federal land policy affecting northern Nevada, pushing bills that transfer or dispose of federal land for local economic development while pairing conveyances with conservation designations. He makes his case with detailed county-by-county figures (percentages of federal landownership, acreage conveyed) and supports his bills by citing local requests from county commissions and a broad list of supporters, including both conservation and industry groups. He argues from a local-control standpoint, that federal ownership restricts county planners, and distances his legislation from unrelated measures it has been conflated with. His floor remarks in this sample are procedural and substantive rather than partisan; no attacks on the other party appear.Written by AI from their statements. Updated .
“Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Williams of Texas). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Amodei) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2317, as amended. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Williams of Texas). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Amodei) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2317, as amended. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
“I want the House to pass this bill. The federal government owns most of the land in northern Nevada, which makes it hard for local towns to plan for their needs. This bill transfers small amounts of that land to local control. Local leaders, tribes, and conservation groups all asked for these changes.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I guess in continuing on the slow-but-steady progress on the theme for today, northern Nevada counties are overwhelmingly owned by the Federal Government, restricting local planners and zoners from being able to adequately serve and plan for their communities’ needs. In Pershing County, the Federal Government owns 73.3 percent of the total landmass in the county. The amount of Federal land in Pershing remains virtually unchanged because this bill has a one-to-one consolidation of checkerboard land that was done during the 1800s for railroad construction. It is literally a consolidation of the checkerboard into two pieces, one private and one public. In Douglas County, the Federal Government owns 51.9 percent of the total landmass in the county. This bill conveys 7,777 acres to the county for flood management purposes and allows for the disposal of no more than 10,000 acres in the county. This would dispose of only 4.1 percent of Federal land in Douglas County, most of which is for public purposes. In Lyon County, the Federal Government owns 64.8 percent of the total landmass in the county. The bill allows for the disposal of 12,085 acres of Federal land in Lyon County, decreasing the Federal estate in that particular county by 1.4 percent. All of the parcels for conveyance, disposal, and wilderness were identified and requested by local planning and zoning authorities. That is, in all three cases, the county commissions. The bill has been wrongly conflated to the lands provisions originally in last year’s reconciliation package. To be clear, this is not what was considered during the reconciliation. The bill before you is a holistic package that balances conservation and economic development priorities for northern Nevada communities and enjoys bipartisan support in Nevada. The bill is nearly identical to what was favorably marked up and reported out of the House Natural Resources Committee in November last year. The largest piece of this bill, Pershing County, passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee way back in the 115th Congress, so it has been in the mix, if you will, for more than a little while. Groups in support is a list of groups that you don’t always hear talked about in support of the same thing. All counties, cities, and Tribes included in the bill not only support it, but the bill consists of requests from those entities to have these lands put into local control. The supporting groups include: Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Coalition for Nevada’s Wildlife, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Great Basin Wildlife Conservancy, Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, Nevada Sporting Dog Alliance, Northern Nevada Safari Club International, Sierra Front Muley Fanatic Foundation, Southern Coalition for Nevada’s Wildlife, Truckee River Flyfishers, National Mining Association, and the Nevada Farm Bureau. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I guess in continuing on the slow-but-steady progress on the theme for today, northern Nevada counties are overwhelmingly owned by the Federal Government, restricting local planners and zoners from being able to adequately serve and plan for their communities’ needs. In Pershing County, the Federal Government owns 73.3 percent of the total landmass in the county. The amount of Federal land in Pershing remains virtually unchanged because this bill has a one-to-one consolidation of checkerboard land that was done during the 1800s for railroad construction. It is literally a consolidation of the checkerboard into two pieces, one private and one public. In Douglas County, the Federal Government owns 51.9 percent of the total landmass in the county. This bill conveys 7,777 acres to the county for flood management purposes and allows for the disposal of no more than 10,000 acres in the county. This would dispose of only 4.1 percent of Federal land in Douglas County, most of which is for public purposes. In Lyon County, the Federal Government owns 64.8 percent of the total landmass in the county. The bill allows for the disposal of 12,085 acres of Federal land in Lyon County, decreasing the Federal estate in that particular county by 1.4 percent. All of the parcels for conveyance, disposal, and wilderness were identified and requested by local planning and zoning authorities. That is, in all three cases, the county commissions. The bill has been wrongly conflated to the lands provisions originally in last year’s reconciliation package. To be clear, this is not what was considered during the reconciliation. The bill before you is a holistic package that balances conservation and economic development priorities for northern Nevada communities and enjoys bipartisan support in Nevada. The bill is nearly identical to what was favorably marked up and reported out of the House Natural Resources Committee in November last year. The largest piece of this bill, Pershing County, passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee way back in the 115th Congress, so it has been in the mix, if you will, for more than a little while. Groups in support is a list of groups that you don’t always hear talked about in support of the same thing. All counties, cities, and Tribes included in the bill not only support it, but the bill consists of requests from those entities to have these lands put into local control. The supporting groups include: Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Coalition for Nevada’s Wildlife, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Great Basin Wildlife Conservancy, Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, Nevada Sporting Dog Alliance, Northern Nevada Safari Club International, Sierra Front Muley Fanatic Foundation, Southern Coalition for Nevada’s Wildlife, Truckee River Flyfishers, National Mining Association, and the Nevada Farm Bureau. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
“I ask that all members have five days to add more comments or documents to the record about this bill.”
“Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2317, as amended, the bill now under consideration.”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2317, as amended, the bill now under consideration.
“I want the House to pass this bill. It transfers federal land to local governments in northern Nevada for business growth and public projects, while also protecting other land as wilderness.”
“Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2317) to provide for transfer of ownership of certain Federal lands in northern Nevada, to authorize the disposal of certain Federal lands in northern Nevada for economic development, to promote conservation in northern Nevada, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 101. Purpose. Sec. 102. Definitions. Sec. 111. Conveyance to State of Nevada. Sec. 112. Conveyance to Douglas County, Nevada. Sec. 113. Sale of certain Federal land. Sec. 114. Open Space Recreation Area. Sec. 121. Transfer of land to be held in trust for Tribe. Subtitle C--Resolution of Burbank Canyons Wilderness Study Area Sec. 131. Addition to National Wilderness Preservation System. Sec. 132. Administration. Sec. 133. Fish and wildlife management. Sec. 134. Release of wilderness study area. Sec. 135. Native American cultural and religious uses. Sec. 141. Authority of Forest Service to convey to State or county for Sec. 142. Special use authorizations for recreation and other purposes. Sec. 201. Purpose. Sec. 202. Definitions. Sec. 203. Land conveyances for public purposes. Sec. 301. Purpose. Sec. 302. Definitions. Sec. 303. Land conveyances for flood protection. Sec. 401. Definitions. Sec. 402. Land conveyances. Sec. 403. Carson City street connector conveyance. Sec. 404. Amendment to reversionary interests. Sec. 405. Disposal of Federal land. Sec. 406. Transfer of land to the United States. Sec. 407. Disposition of proceeds. Sec. 408. Postponement; exclusion from sale. Sec. 501. Short title. Sec. 502. Definitions. Sec. 503. Findings. Sec. 511. Sale or exchange of eligible land. Sec. 512. Sale of encumbered land. Sec. 513. Disposition of proceeds. Sec. 521. Additions to the National Wilderness Preservation System. Sec. 522. Administration. Sec. 523. Wildlife management. Sec. 524. Release of wilderness study areas. Sec. 525. Native American cultural and religious uses. Sec. 601. Federal complex. Sec. 701. Short title. Sec. 702. Definitions. Sec. 703. Land conveyances to the City of Elko. Sec. 704. Land conveyances to Elko County. Sec. 801. Short title. Sec. 802. Land conveyances. Sec. 901. Definitions. Sec. 902. Conveyance of land for use as a public cemetery. Sec. 903. Conveyance of land for use as regional public parks. Sec. 1001. Administration of State water rights. Sec. 1002. Amendment to conveyance of Federal land in Storey County, Sec. 1003. Maps and legal descriptions. Sec. 1004. Minor errors. Sec. 1101. Greenlink West Project. Sec. 1201. Release of Federal reversionary land interests. Subtitle C--Resolution of Burbank Canyons Wilderness Study Area”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2317) to provide for transfer of ownership of certain Federal lands in northern Nevada, to authorize the disposal of certain Federal lands in northern Nevada for economic development, to promote conservation in northern Nevada, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 101. Purpose. Sec. 102. Definitions. Sec. 111. Conveyance to State of Nevada. Sec. 112. Conveyance to Douglas County, Nevada. Sec. 113. Sale of certain Federal land. Sec. 114. Open Space Recreation Area. Sec. 121. Transfer of land to be held in trust for Tribe. Subtitle C--Resolution of Burbank Canyons Wilderness Study Area Sec. 131. Addition to National Wilderness Preservation System. Sec. 132. Administration. Sec. 133. Fish and wildlife management. Sec. 134. Release of wilderness study area. Sec. 135. Native American cultural and religious uses. Sec. 141. Authority of Forest Service to convey to State or county for Sec. 142. Special use authorizations for recreation and other purposes. Sec. 201. Purpose. Sec. 202. Definitions. Sec. 203. Land conveyances for public purposes. Sec. 301. Purpose. Sec. 302. Definitions. Sec. 303. Land conveyances for flood protection. Sec. 401. Definitions. Sec. 402. Land conveyances. Sec. 403. Carson City street connector conveyance. Sec. 404. Amendment to reversionary interests. Sec. 405. Disposal of Federal land. Sec. 406. Transfer of land to the United States. Sec. 407. Disposition of proceeds. Sec. 408. Postponement; exclusion from sale. Sec. 501. Short title. Sec. 502. Definitions. Sec. 503. Findings. Sec. 511. Sale or exchange of eligible land. Sec. 512. Sale of encumbered land. Sec. 513. Disposition of proceeds. Sec. 521. Additions to the National Wilderness Preservation System. Sec. 522. Administration. Sec. 523. Wildlife management. Sec. 524. Release of wilderness study areas. Sec. 525. Native American cultural and religious uses. Sec. 601. Federal complex. Sec. 701. Short title. Sec. 702. Definitions. Sec. 703. Land conveyances to the City of Elko. Sec. 704. Land conveyances to Elko County. Sec. 801. Short title. Sec. 802. Land conveyances. Sec. 901. Definitions. Sec. 902. Conveyance of land for use as a public cemetery. Sec. 903. Conveyance of land for use as regional public parks. Sec. 1001. Administration of State water rights. Sec. 1002. Amendment to conveyance of Federal land in Storey County, Sec. 1003. Maps and legal descriptions. Sec. 1004. Minor errors. Sec. 1101. Greenlink West Project. Sec. 1201. Release of Federal reversionary land interests. Subtitle C--Resolution of Burbank Canyons Wilderness Study Area
“Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 11 a.m. tomorrow. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bresnahan). Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Nevada? There was no objection.”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 11 a.m. tomorrow. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bresnahan). Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Nevada? There was no objection.
