Rep. Mark Amodei led House Republicans in approving a reconciliation bill Monday that included a late-night amendment to sell off more than 93,000 acres of public lands in Nevada — much to the chagrin of environmentalists and congressional Democrats.
The House Natural Resources Committee approved a portion of the Republicans’ budget package with an amendment put forward by Amodei, R-Nev., and Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah., allowing the sale.
The amendment would allow the sale of 65,129 acres of public land in Clark County — an amount equivalent to 71 percent of the area of city of Las Vegas — 15,860 acres in Washoe County, 12,085 acres in Lyon County, as well as an unspecified amount of forest service land in Nevada, according to Amodei’s office.
It also authorizes the sale or exchange of approximately 356,100 acres in Pershing County that were previously identified for disposal by the Bureau of Land Managemen to be exchanged at a 1-to-1 ratio.
The amendment specifies that the land in Clark and Washoe will be used for affordable housing. The land in Lyon County will be sold to the city of Fernley and be developed as the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center II, according to Amodei’s office.
Amodei who represents Northern Nevada, wasn’t immediately available for a comment Wednesday afternoon.
Proceeds to D.C., not Nevada
Nevada’s House Democrats complained that under the amendment pushed through the Amodei, the proceeds from federal land sales would not go to Nevada as previously done and insteasd go to help cover the Trump administration’s proposed tax cuts.
“Nevada gets screwed. We don’t get any of that money,” said Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., in a phone interview Wednesday.
Lands bills have been on the table for years with multiple iterations, but they’ve never been successful. Titus said Amodei’s version does not include conservation elements.
“For decades, federal law has ensured that proceeds from land sales in southern Nevada stay in Nevada,” Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., said in a statement. “Last night’s traitorous maneuver instead would send Nevada’s land proceeds to Washington to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.”
Lee called Amodei’s proposal a “slap in the face to Nevadans” and pledged to fight it every step of the way.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., called the proposal “insane” and the “single biggest sell-offs of Nevada public lands in history.”
Cortez Masto and Lee had led the bipartisan Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, a years-long proposal to both help Clark County grow while also protecting acres for conservation. Cortez Masto said Amodei’s proposal ignores that longstanding effort.
Amodei’s amendment includes a savings clause to ensure that no proceeds deposited in the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act special account under previous lands sales are to be rescinded or redirected.
Tribes, environmentalists concerned
Native activists say the proposal targets Tribal homelands. The proposal targets the area near Nevada’s newest national monument, Avi Kwa Ame, as well as Gold Butte, and land that borders the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation.
“These are not excess acres,” said Taylor Patterson, executive director of Native Voters Alliance Nevada, in a statement. “These are Native lands. And the people advancing this know exactly what they are doing. This is the same story our people have lived through for generations. Erase us, sell what is left, and pretend it was never ours. But it was. And it still is.”
Environmentalists said the move bypasses standard procedures when it comes to selling public lands and limits public participation.
Kyle Roerink, executive director of Great Basin Water Network, said land sales have to go through a time-consuming Resource Management Plan process under the Bureau of Land Management and requires environmental impact statements as well as public participation.
By turning the land sales into legislation, that process is done away with, Roerink argued.
“Go back and watch any hearing on SNEDCA (Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act) in Congress. You know what you won’t see? You will not see an opponent get any time at the microphone in Congress,” Roerink said.
Where would affordable housing be?
Titus said Amodei’s proposal doesn’t address water and infrastructure. The land included in the proposal is not the suburbs of Vegas, but in areas like Mesquite, Searchlight and Moapa. Infrastructure improvements for power, water, sewers and roads will be required to accommodate that growth, she said.
There’s no limitation on development related to capping development if water levels drop, Titus said, and there is nothing in the proposal requiring developers to contribute to the cost of infrastructure.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.
Mojave (Nev.) head football coach Wes Pacheco announced on Sunday morning that he’s stepping down from his position, according to a social media post.
Pacheco announced his resignation after six seasons at the helm of the Rattlers, putting together a 29-22 overall record from 2020-2025.
“I have officially stepped down as Head Coach of the Mojave Football Program,” Pacheco said in his social media post. “Thank you to Principal Cole for giving me the opoortunity make an impact on the lives of Mojave Student-Athletes. I am grateful and blessed to have labored through a 6-year journey of successes, failures, life lessons, character building and growth with the student-athletes myself and my coaching staff have served. I will forever love my Mojave Family, the Mojave Community and believe in the notion that SUCCESS can be attained by showcasing character, treating everyone with respect, and always have the courage to dream big and trust that “ATTACKING THE HARD WORK” & “HIGH MOTORING EVERYTHING” can yield SUCCESS that you want to achieve in life!”
During Pacheco’s half dozen seasons leading Mojave, his best record came in the 2024 season when the Rattlers finished with a 12-1 record. Located out of North Las Vegas, Mojave had to compete against the likes of national high school football powerhouse Bishop Gorman during the regular season.
Mojave ended the last season with a 4-6 record and as the state’s No. 23rd ranked team, according to the final 2025 Nevada High School Football Massey Rankings.
Mojave High School, located in North Las Vegas, NV, is a dynamic public high school that fosters academic excellence, personal growth, and community involvement. Home of the Rattlers, MHS offers a wide range of academic programs, athletics, and extracurricular activities. With a strong commitment to student success, Mojave emphasizes leadership, college and career readiness, and a supportive school culture that prepares students for life beyond graduation.
For Nevada high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Silver State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across Nevada.
A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.
Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.
What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.
The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.
So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.
I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.
Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.
Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.
click to expand photos
Las Vegas High’s baseball team claimed a 3-2 home win over Coronado on Friday.
Las Vegas (9-13-1) next hosts Rancho at 10 a.m. Saturday. Coronado (13-14) hosts Chaparral at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
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