Rosen, Cortez Masto Call for Senate Hearing to Advance Lands Bill for Washoe County

Rosen’s Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act Would Promote Responsible Growth In Washoe County, Create Opportunities for Affordable Housing Development, Protect Public Lands And Outdoor Recreation, And Support Tribal Communities

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) recently called on the leadership of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to hold a legislative hearing for the Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act as part of a push to bring the bill to the Senate floor for a vote. The legislation, introduced by Senator Rosen and co-sponsored by Senator Cortez Masto, would expand economic development and affordable housing opportunities in Washoe County, support local Tribal communities, increase conservation, protect public lands and outdoor recreation, and keep proceeds from land sales in Nevada for priorities like education and restoration around the Truckee River.

“We write to respectfully request your assistance in securing a legislative hearing for the Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act (S.3593),” wrote the Senators. “This proposal reflects years of collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders to allow for responsible growth in Washoe County, Nevada, protect public lands and outdoor recreation, and support Tribal communities. Our bill will also expand economic development and affordable housing opportunities while increasing conservation across the region.”

“The Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act is designed to make targeted and meaningful improvements on these issues, which is why it is supported by not only the Washoe County Board of Commissioners and the City of Sparks, but also by the Chairman of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, the Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, Friends of Nevada Wilderness, the Nevada Wildlife Federation, and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.” the Senators continued.

The full text of the letter can be found HERE

Senator Rosen has been a champion for Nevada’s public lands. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Rosen helped pass the modernization plan for the Fallon Range Training Complex at Naval Air Station Fallon, an effort led by Senator Cortez Masto, which was signed into law at the end of 2022. This compromise included Senator Rosen’s Lander County Land Management and Conservation Act, which transferred land to Lander County to improve airports, allow greater access to water infrastructure, increase recreation and outdoor tourism opportunities, and support economic development, while also designating over 14,000 acres of new wilderness. Last year, they both celebrated the designation of the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument after working alongside the Nevada congressional delegation to push for the designation. Senator Rosen also led a letter requesting funding for the Bureau of Land Management’s cultural resources account and National Conservation Lands, encompassing more than 37 million acres of national monuments and conservation areas.

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