Nevada
Bill by Nevada’s Amodei to ramp up mining on public land passes House
The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday put forward by Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei that would reinvigorate mining activity on federal lands.
Amodei, a Republican who represents the state’s top half, described the bill as strengthening the nation’s mineral supply chain and helping to counter China’s dominance with minerals.
“Western states are sitting on a wealth of resources and a critical opportunity to break our dangerous reliance on foreign adversaries while powering our own economy,” he said in a statement.
“The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act … gives domestic mining operations the certainty they need to compete aggressively and win.”
The bill passed 219 to 198. Republicans voted 210 in favor, 1 opposed and 9 not voting. Democrats voted 9 in favor, 197 opposed and 7 not voting. It was one of the House’s last actions before adjourning for the year.
Nevada delegation split on mining bill
Amodei was joined by Las Vegas Democrat Steven Horsford, who co-sponsored the bill in the House.
“Streamlining the hardrock mining process will create good jobs and strengthen our energy sector,” Horsford said.
The state’s other two House members — Democrats Susie Lee and Dina Titus — voted in opposition.
Titus spokesperson Dick Cooper told the Reno Gazette Journal that the congresswoman voted no because the bill would allow for increased dumping of mine waste on public lands.
“It would also allow mining companies to gain permanent rights to occupy public lands and preclude other uses including recreational and cultural uses,” he added.
It now heads to the Senate, where Nevada Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto will work to get it passed.
“This bill is common sense, and it’s key for communities across Nevada that count on mining for their livelihoods,” Cortez Masto said in a social media post.
Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, a Democrat, also supports it. She helped introduce the Senate companion version of Amodei’s bill.
“Nevada is one of the few places in the United States with an abundance of critical minerals and a robust hardrock mining industry,” Rosen said. “The responsible mining of these minerals supports thousands of jobs and will help to strengthen our domestic manufacturing and clean energy supply chains.”
What does Amodei’s Mining Regulatory Clarity Act do?
The bill is a response to a 2022 decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals involving the Rosemont Copper Mine in Arizona.
The decision basically meant that mining companies must prove valuable minerals exist on a piece of land before they can dump waste material on it. Called the “mineral validity” requirement, it disrupted decades of precedent.
Amodei’s bill would reverse that and allow the practice to resume of using nearby land for mining waste without proving the land contains commercial deposits — something mining companies say is essential for operating on federal land.
“This legislation ensures the fundamental ability to conduct responsible mining activities on federal lands,” said Rich Nolan, National Mining Association president and CEO, in a statement. “Regulatory certainty, or the lack thereof, will either underpin or undermine efforts to decisively confront our minerals crisis.”
The bill also creates an “Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund.” Some fees related to mining claims will be used to fund a program to inventory, assess and clean up abandoned hardrock mines.
Environmental groups blast House vote on Mining Regulatory Clarity Act
Some environmental groups campaigned against the bill and described it as choosing corporate interests over people, Native Americans’ rights and the environment.
Lauren Pagel, policy director for Earthworks, said the bill “will remove already-scarce protections for natural resources and sacred cultural sites in U.S. mining law.”
The Center for Biological Diversity said the bill surrenders public lands to mining conglomerates.
“The so-called Mining Regulatory Clarity Act would bypass the validity requirement and grant mining companies — including foreign companies — the statutory right to permanently occupy and indiscriminately use public lands upon approval of a company’s self-written plan of operations,” said the nonprofit conservation organization in an online post.
Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to mrobison@rgj.com or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.
Nevadans will elect officials to represent them in state government, ahead of next year’s biennial legislative session. According to the state: “Members of the Assembly are elected every two years, and Senators serve a term of four years. Legislators are only allowed to serve a total of twelve years in each house. This means that a legislator can serve in one house (Assembly or Senate) for twelve years, then serve in the other house (Assembly or Senate) for another twelve years.”
Lawmakers craft and balance a budget for two years, and work to pass legislation to protect the rights and freedoms of residents. Major priorities will likely include things like healthcare costs, education funding, data center regulations, and environmental protections.
Election Snapshot
- Primary Election: June 9, 2026
- General Election: November 3, 2026
- Nevada voters will choose party nominees in the primary election, then elect the legislator in the general election.
- Nevadans can vote by mail, early in person, or on Election Day (see Polling Places page).
- Mail ballots are automatically sent to all active registered voters. You can check your voter registration status here.
What Does the Assembly Do?
The Nevada State Assembly is one body of the state’s legislative branch of government. The Assembly, along with the State Senate, works to pass laws, pass budgets, and meets every two years at the Legislative Building in Carson City, Nev. The Nevada Constitution sets the maximum number of legislators to 75, and the number of Senators cannot be less than one-third, or more than one-half, of the number of Assembly members. Since 1983, the Nevada Legislature has had 21 members in the Senate and 42 members in the Assembly.
Many races for Assembly seats have no primary election, as there aren’t enough candidates. We’re listing those with primary decisions first.
Nevada Assembly District 25
Incumbent Selena La Rue Hatch (Democrat) has no challenger in the primary, so she will be on November’s general election ballot.
Republican Primary
Nevada Assembly District 39
Erich Obermayr (Democrat) has no challenger in the primary, so he will be on November’s general election ballot.
Republican Primary
Incumbent Blayne Osborn (Republican) is running against three challengers in June’s primary election.
Nevada Assembly District 40
This seat is open after incumbent Philip O’Neill did not file for reelection.
Oscar Fuentes (Democrat) has no challenger in the primary, so he will be on November’s general election ballot.
Republican Primary
Editor’s Note: Candidate Stacy M. Woodbury filled out the questionnaire from the Sierra Nevada Ally. You can read it here.
The following Assembly districts have no primary election, as the candidates for the general election have been decided.
Nevada Assembly District 24
Nevada Assembly District 26
Nevada Assembly District 27
Nevada Assembly District 30
Nevada Assembly District 31
Nevada Assembly District 32
Nevada Assembly District 33
Nevada Assembly District 38
The Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada
has named Mackenzie Warren Kay, a shareholder in Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s State Government Relations Group, to its board of directors.
In her role, Warren Kay will support the organization’s strategic and fundraising efforts and serve on one of its committees.
“The Girl Scouts’ mission resonates with me on a personal level,” said Warren Kay. “I believe in giving every young woman the tools to be resilient, joyful, independent and confident to dream big—Girl Scouts does that.”
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A traffic incident near the Nevada-California border caused traffic delays for drivers along Interstate 15 Saturday morning, according to RTC of Southern Nevada.
The incident occurred on southbound I-15 before Yates Well Road near Nipton, California.
RTC told drivers to expect delays and traffic was moving slowly Saturday morning.
As of 2 p.m. Saturday, traffic was still backed up near the stateline.
Stay with 8 News Now for updates.
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