U.S. Senator Dean Heller sent a representative to town Oct. 20 to update local elected officials on Heller's activities and give them an opportunity for input.
Heller's Legislative Assistant Jeremy Harrell, said Heller is still hoping there is a chance before the holiday Congressional recess for passage of seven Nevada lands bills that were grouped together in the hope that would make passage more likely.
"Ideally, we hope the Senate will take up the same version that the House passed," said Harrell. Harrell said Senators Reid and Heller are on the same page with their Nevada colleagues in the House, adding, "Now they're trying to convince their colleagues from other states."
Harrell noted that cooperation from other states' Congressmen was what helped get approval on the seven Nevada lands bills package in the House.
"It was the view of senators from nowhere near Nevada who ended up getting it passed," he said.
On another front, Harrell indicated that Humboldt County's input on the discussion draft of the Reid/Heller Nevada Sagebrush Landscape Conservation and Economic Development Act was positively received by the senators. He indicated revisions to proposed wilderness boundaries suggested by Humboldt County residents and other constituents will be included in the final version of the bill, and said he would be distributing new maps showing the carve-outs suggested.
The bill proposal, now being referred to as "discussion draft II" is still not in final form, according to Harrell.
"We got substantial feedback," He said, noting that more is welcome.
15,000 acres of federal land in Humboldt County were identified in the original discussion draft as having been identified for disposal - to be offered for sale. Harrell said that language has been amended to allow for some of the identified land to be available for exchange rather than sale. Exchange of federal lands that checkerboard with private land were specifically mentioned.
The senators were amenable to suggestions to change discussion draft references from "insects" to "pests, according to Harrell, and they're on board with increasing the focus on addressing noxious and invasive weeds, he added.
The senators are still considering the discussion draft's proposed impact fees for any development activity on sage grouse habitat.
"The goal of the bill is to raise revenues to pay for mitigation and ecological restoration, and the senators are trying to find a way to raise those dollars without putting our state at an economic disadvantage," Harrell said.
"Senator Heller sees this bill as an avenue to resolve all the public lands issues that apply to each county," he added. "The goal is to meet the needs of the counties without causing budget problems."
Humboldt County Administrator Bill Deist noted a concern with rumors of efforts by some to do last-minute add-ons to the wilderness areas proposed in the discussion draft.
Harrell said Heller's stance from the beginning has been that only lands currently named Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) - which are managed as if they have been declared wilderness - would be considered for wilderness designation.
"He'd like to see the lands currently being managed as wilderness declared wilderness before any lands not currently managed as wilderness would be considered for additional wilderness study or designation," Harrell said.
Deist also asked Harrell what, if any, impact the proposed bill would have on pieces of land the city or county have identified that they want, and on land the mines have requested.
"We want to see the new maps get out to the people and let them make requests," said Harrell.
Jim Jeffress, who has worked with residents and interest groups on this and other lands bills, said Pershing County would be putting forward some proposals for revisions to proposed wilderness designations there, adding some areas and suggesting other be deleted.
"Don't be surprised to see this coming," Jeffress said.
Harrell indicated he had plans to visit Pershing County as well.[[In-content Ad]]
