Nevada
Amodei’s mining bill fails to pass Republican-controlled House • Nevada Current
Nevada’s lone congressional Republican suffered a blow this week after six members of his own party joined Democrats to block a bill he authored to address a court ruling adopting a stricter interpretation of the 150-year-old General Mining Law.
Mining developers looking to extract minerals in Nevada are grappling with the aftermath of a 2022 U.S. appellate court ruling that essentially restricted mining companies from dumping waste on federal lands.
While federal mining law allows companies to mine on federal land where economically valuable minerals are present, the federal court decision ruled that companies are not guaranteed the right to use adjacent federal land without valuable minerals for related purposes – such as waste rock disposal or running power lines.
The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act of 2024 — introduced by Nevada Republican Rep. Mark Amodei —would respond to the ruling by removing a provision in an 1872 federal mining law that mining companies must show a mineral deposit is present before building roads and other support facilities at a potential site.
However, the legislation died on the House floor Wednesday after a 210-206 vote to send the bill back to the House Natural Resources committee. Amodei’s office did not respond in time for publication.
Six hard-line Republicans — Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Bob Good of Virginia and Matt Gaetz and Anna Paulina Luna of Florida — voted with all Democrats to block the bill.
During floor debate, Republicans argued the bill was needed to clarify a 2022 federal appeals court decision that blocked approvals for mining support facilities at an Arizona copper mine.
“The decision limited the ability of the Forest Service to approve necessary mining support facilities and activity, which is necessary for mining operations,” Minnesota Republican Pete Stauber said Wednesday. The decision “put virtually every new domestic mining project in jeopardy.”
In Nevada, the appellate court ruling has the potential to send mining projects — years in the making — back to square one.
In the case of a planned molybdenum mine by Nevada-based developer Eureka Moly LLC, a district court judge vacated the 2019 Bureau of Land Management’s approval of the project after ruling the developer did not have the right to dump waste rock on federal land without valuable mineral deposits.
The new stricter interpretation of the 150-year-old General Mining Law, also affected what may potentially become the largest lithium mine in the United States, the Thacker Pass project south of the Nevada-Oregon border. Last year, a district judge cited the Arizona ruling when determining that federal land managers violated federal law when they approved the mine developer’s plan to bury 1,300 acres of public land under waste rock.
Prior to the court decision adopting a stricter interpretation of the 150-year-old General Mining Law, mining companies had been dumping mining waste on neighboring federal lands without issue for decades.
House Democrats argued Amodei’s bill would only benefit the mining industry by making it easier for companies to develop sites without documented mineral deposits. On the House floor, Democrats said the bill would give too much power to — and provide too little accountability for — mining companies that already work in a favorable regulatory environment.
New Mexico Democrat Melanie Stansbury said mining companies operate under an 1872 law that provides nearly unfettered access to lands that other extractive industries “could only dream of.”
Congress should be improving environmental protections to the 19th-century law, but the bill considered Wednesday would only weaken existing protections, she said.
“This bill removes the one frail safeguard that we have,” she said. “Under this bill, any American — or frankly any American subsidiary of a foreign company, including those that are located in adversarial countries — can put four stakes in the ground and on open public lands pay less than $10 an acre per year to have exclusive rights to that land, forever. Forever. This bill would create a free-for-all on our public lands.”
Both Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate have described the federal appeals court decision as “a significant departure from long-held mining practices.” Last year, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto has proposed a similar bill — the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act — that would make it legal to use part of a mining claim for mining related purposes on land without valuable minerals, including waste rock disposal.
Lori Wisniewski lost her Nevada City home in a fire last year and has been living in a 150-square-foot tiny home while she waits for her house to be rebuilt.
It’s being rebuilt at little to no cost to her, thanks to her community stepping up to help.
“I had to jump off the deck, and I thought the dogs would be coming out too, and they didn’t, so that’s very sad,” she said, recounting the day of the fire on January 27, 2025.
Wisniewski lost her pets and home after an accident with her wood-burning stove. She says she wasn’t sure how to move forward without proper insurance and navigating the process without her husband, who died from cancer.
“In First James, it talks about serving widows and orphans as being true religion. So when I saw Lori’s story come across my path, I knew that was an opportunity to put my money where my mouth is with my faith,” said Matthew Sutherlin, CEO of Green Bee Construction.
Sutherlin is spearheading the rebuild of Wisniewski’s home with the help of donated time, labor and materials from other local tradespeople and businesses.
“Who am I to have a designer? And part of me, too, is when I have to choose everything, I always try to go for the least expensive item or tile or front door,” she said.
“Everybody has been shaving things off and donating things and getting reduced costs all the way across the board. That’s what has made it possible for this project to have worked,” said Sutherlin.
It’s been all hands on deck during the last year.
Wisniewski was excited to show us the inside of the house and what’s to come. As a former post-surgical nurse, she even decided an accessible room would be a nice touch for friends or anyone who lent a hand.
“If somebody has to recover or needs a few days to get around after a surgery, they can come and stay in here,” she said.
The builders say the weather has been posing a challenge, especially coupled with hazardous materials leftover from the fire. But they’re getting through it together.
“Every person has stepped up to offer their help. The timing with all the different processes has worked out in our favor. I really believe the whole thing has a blessing on it, really,” said Sutherlin.
Builders expect to be finished with the house in late spring or early summer.
“This community, a lot of them have seen your reports. At Grocery Outlet, ‘oh, you’re the one whose house burned down,’ and I always go into the most important thing about this is what people from the community are doing for this purpose or cause. I sometimes wonder why me? Why am I getting this opportunity? So that’s where I am today,” said Wisniewski.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is set to hold a press conference to discuss the status of multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration.
Officials say the address will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 13. The conference will cover both the financial and nonfinancial wins regarding claims that the Trump administration has “practiced destructive overreach.”
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Top performances
Boys basketball
■ Mekhi Carter, Canyon Springs: The sophomore collected 17 points, five assists and two steals while leading the Pioneers to a 63-49 win over Tech.
■ Gian Haddock, Desert Oasis: The senior scored 23 points as the Diamondbacks outlasted Silverado for a 70-68 triple-overtime win.
■ Rylan Hearns, Arbor View: The senior finished with 28 points in the Aggies’ 71-55 win over Foothill.
■ Uzo Nwapa, The Meadows: The junior scored 18 points to help the Mustangs hold off Shadow Ridge for a 57-54 victory.
■ David Quesada, Cimarron-Memorial: The sophomore racked up 28 points and eight rebounds to lead the Spartans past Del Sol 84-49.
Girls basketball
■ Samantha Chesnut, Liberty: The senior led a balanced attack with 11 points as the Patriots rolled past Las Vegas 68-14.
■ Greta Piepkorn, Rancho: The sophomore collected 12 points and five steals while leading the Rams to a 42-34 win over Green Valley.
■ Bella Robinson, Coral Academy: The senior finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds, 13 steals and six assists in the Falcons’ 59-20 victory over Eldorado.
■ Sabrina Stewart, Del Sol: The sophomore scored 27 points and the Dragons rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Canyon Springs 62-58.
■ Nation Williams, Centennial: The senior posted 16 points in the Bulldogs’ 76-24 victory over Faith Lutheran.
Flag football
■ Amaya Mackey, Legacy: The sophomore had three interceptions to help the Longhorns secure a 19-6 victory over Moapa Valley.
■ Manahere Peters, Sloan Canyon: The junior caught 10 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns in the Pirates’ 41-24 loss to Bishop Gorman.
■ Charli Taylor, Liberty: The freshman completed 23 of 48 passes for 384 yards and four TDs to lead the Patriots beat Green Valley 35-6.
Scores
Boys basketball
Arbor View 71, Foothill 55
Canyon Springs 63, Tech 49
Cimarron-Memorial 84, Del Sol 49
Desert Oasis 70, Silverado 68 (3OT)
Laughlin 72, Liberty Baptist 52
Losee 63, Mater East 40
Needles 86, Awaken Christian 33
Snow Canyon (Utah) 67, Virgin Valley 61
The Meadows 57, Shadow Ridge 54
Western 62, Cadence 7
Girls basketball
Amplus Academy 46, Chaparral 21
Centennial 76, Faith Lutheran 24
Coral Academy 59, Eldorado 20
Del Sol 62, Canyon Springs 58
Laughlin 41, Liberty Baptist 15
Liberty 68, Las Vegas 14
Mojave 64, Shadow Ridge 63
Rancho 42, Green Valley 34
Spring Valley 48, Doral Academy 29
Sunrise Mountain 53, Cheyenne 18
Western 29, Cadence 21
Flag football
Bishop Gorman 41, Sloan Canyon 24
Chaparral 7, Amplus Academy 6
Cimarron-Memorial 18, Clark 13
Desert Oasis 55, Cheyenne 0
Legacy 19, Moapa Valley 6
Liberty 35, Green Valley 6
Mojave 22, Basic 8
Palo Verde 13, Mater East 12
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