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.
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A string of deadly crashes in and around Pahrump has prompted Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill to push for more safety measures along dark, sidewalk-free roads.
“The worst penalty is death, if you consider that,” McGill said.
The recent deaths include a single-vehicle rollover on State Route 160 during the morning hours of the last Wednesday in January that killed one person and injured another.
Then, into February, two pedestrians were killed in less than three days.
The first was a 7 p.m. crash on Quarter Horse Avenue. Investigators believe a 2006 Jeep Liberty was driving on the street when it hit a pedestrian, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
A few days later, this last Saturday, state troopers responded to a crash just after sundown at Charleston Park Avenue. A sedan hit a pedestrian, who was also pronounced dead at the scene.
Nevada State Police investigators are still investigating both pedestrian cases before more details are released.
McGill said the recent crashes were enough to spur action.
“When the third one came out, I was sitting at home and watching TV. I looked at my wife and I said, ‘We got to do something about this,’” McGill said.
McGill is responding with a reflective vest giveaway, pointing to limited infrastructure as a possible factor. He noted a lack of street lights off State Route 160 and no sidewalks inside the community.
“The only light that you have is the ambient light from houses and cars so it is really dark,” McGill said.
John Treanor of AAA Nevada said poor visibility can quickly turn dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians.
“It is very easy to be confronted with a situation that you cannot see coming because the visibility might be bad,” Treanor said.
Treanor encouraged pedestrians to carry lights and drivers to be prepared if they end up outside their vehicles in dark conditions.
“Having lights on you. Even carrying a flashlight allows something where a driver can see it,” Treanor said. “If you are a driver, make sure you have the right stuff in your car, in case you do get in a situation where you are on the side of the road and now you are in dark. Make sure you have a kit with some reflectors, some lights. Anything the trunk of your car in case you need it.”
McGill said vigilance is important even in daylight.
“Any time of the day, you have got to be vigilant. You have to keep aware of your surroundings if you are a walker or on a bicycle or if you are the driver,” he said.
Authorities also urged caution as more people may pull off roads in rocky areas along the route toward Death Valley National Park during springtime blooms, increasing the need for drivers and pedestrians to stay alert.
A waterfront mansion on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe just sold for $46 million, less than three weeks after hitting the market.
The speedy deal marks a departure from the typical U.S. market.
Nationwide, homes took a median 78 days to land a buyer in January, five more than the same time last year and the 22nd straight month of homes taking longer to sell on a year-over-year basis, according to data from Realtor.com.
Mansion Global Boutique: Book Lovers Rejoice: 8 Must-Haves To Build Your Perfect Reading Nook
The lavish log cabin-like residence, in Incline Village, listed on Jan. 24 for $47.5 million. It sold 20 days later, on Feb. 13, listing records show.
The more than 7,000-square-foot residence was built in 2014, and has double-height living spaces, walls of windows, beamed ceilings, fireplaces, and plenty of rustic exposed stone and wood, listing images show.
There’s also a gym, a wet bar, a spa, a wine room, an office, two separate game rooms, seven bedrooms and dramatic Lake Tahoe views. Outside, there’s a private sandy beach, multiple decks, a heated driveway and two exterior fireplaces, according to listing information.
MORE: Visited by Kings and Larger Than Manhattan, Giant Scottish Estate Asks £67 Million
The seller and the buyer are both limited liability companies, according to property records. Both parties were represented by Jeff Brown of Tahoe Mountain Realty, who declined to comment on the deal.
The median home price in Incline Village was $1.595 million as of December, a fall of 3.3% from a year earlier, according to data from Realtor.com. Listings, meanwhile, spent an average of 130 days on the market.
Updated February 26, 2026 – 8:28 pm
click to expand photos
Green Valley’s softball team claimed an 8-6 win at Liberty on Thursday on the first day of high school spring sports competition in Nevada.
Green Valley next hosts Silverado at 3 p.m. Friday. Liberty plays at Bishop Gorman at 3 p.m. Friday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
Exclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
Mother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
Wildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
YouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
Stellantis is in a crisis of its own making
OpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT
