Nevada
Nevada public lands amendment almost derailed Trump budget bill
Rep. Mark Amodei’s amendment to put federal land in Nevada up for sale almost tanked President Donald Trump’s budget bill before it was stripped out in the wee hours of Thursday morning.
The legislation squeaked by in the U.S. House with a vote of 215 to 214. All Democrats and two Republicans opposed it.
It goes next to the Senate, where if passed it would fulfill numerous Trump campaign promises including no taxes on tips, overtime or interest on American-made cars; more border security; and a permanent extension of tax cuts from Trump’s first term.
It’s also expected to add $3.3 trillion to the nation’s deficit over the next 10 years.
The “big, beautiful bill” as Trump calls it, was still in limbo late Wednesday, though, in part because of Nevada.
Amodei, a Republican, thinks the drama may help the state in the long run.
“All this represented was a chance to jump start the whole long federal lands process so it would have been nice if it was in there,” he told the RGJ Thursday.
“But, hey, at the end of the day, I think we got more money in the bank for goodwill with leadership.”
Amodei had put the amendment forward at the behest of House leadership including Speaker Mike Johnson because proceeds from sales of federal land in Nevada and Utah would’ve been added to the U.S. Treasury’s general fund.
He saw it as a first step toward getting approval for a more comprehensive lands bill that includes conservation and tribal efforts.
Another way he thinks he got in the good graces of House leadership is by not making a stink when Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Montana Republican, threatened to scuttle the massive tax-and-spending bill if the amendment wasn’t taken out.
“This was my San Juan Hill,” Zinke said on social media, referring to a famous battle in the Spanish-American War. “God isn’t creating more land, once it’s sold, we will never get it back. This is a big win for all Americans who love our public lands.”
Amodei finds it curious that Zinke suddenly opposes federal land sales.
“Let’s make it really clear: Without Ryan Zinke threatening to vote against the bill that we just passed, none of this would have happened,” he said.
“We met with the speaker and Zinke was like, ‘It’s just a red line for me. I won’t sell any federal land,’” Amodei said. “This is even though he supported sales of federal land and millions of acres of chemical or petroleum leasing while he was secretary of Interior” during Trump’s first term.
Zinke did not help his cause for future legislative proposals by threatening House leaders on a bill important to them for advancing Trump’s agenda.
“The bill’s a good bill,” Amodei said of the budget bill, adding that he doesn’t like making threats. “I don’t operate that way. I’m not going to try to destroy my way to success. So if (removing the amendment) is ultimately what we need to do to pass the bill, that’s fine.”
Criticism from Nevada’s other representatives
Also trying to scuttle Amodei’s amendment were Reps. Dina Titus and Susie Lee, Democrats from Southern Nevada.
They hammered the plan in testimony Wednesday before the House Rules Committee, where they introduced their own amendments — Titus’ would’ve stripped Clark County land from the bill while Lee’s was related to concerns over Colorado River water destined for Southern Nevada.
“The Amodei amendment would have created an additional burden on taxpayers who would have ultimately had to front the costs of infrastructure improvements needed for developments in distant areas,” Titus said in a statement.
She added that it would have broken precedent by sending money back to Washington, D.C., rather than keeping it in Southern Nevada for investment in conservation, wildfire prevention efforts and public schools.
Amodei countered that the amendment would’ve allowed parcels previously identified by local officials to be released from federal control for possible sale.
Those sales still would’ve been subject to local approval and environmental review, Amodei said, and the sales would not have been required to proceed if the infrastructure wasn’t there yet.
“Local planners and zoners are still in control,” he said.
Controversial water pipeline part of Democrats’ opposition
Lee was even more damning. She focused on the sale of federal land in Utah that was also part of Amodei’s amendment in a collaboration with Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy.
“I have been alerted by water officials in Nevada and Arizona that the public land that Amodei wants to sell off in Utah could be used for a controversial water pipeline,” Lee testified. “The parcels of landmark for sale on this proposal coincidentally line up with the land in Utah that has been targeted for the so-called Lake Powell pipeline.”
This proposed pipeline is a big concern for water managers in Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming that depend on the Colorado River, she said.
“If this land is sold and the pipeline is built, this could siphon 28 billion gallons of water each year from Lake Powell and the Colorado River to communities in southern Utah, away from Nevada, Arizona and other basin states,” Lee said.
Amodei “clearly doesn’t understand the relationship between water and development and housing costs. … I’m asking you to advance my amendment to repeal the Amodei land sale in Utah, so we can stop this trojan horse to steal Nevada’s water.”
Amodei said diverting water isn’t as simple as making a land sale.
It requires negotiations through the Colorado River Compact, signed in 1922, which involves seven U.S. states and Mexico.
“As a guy who served on the Colorado River Commission, I find that an utterly confusing statement,” he said of Lee’s claims.
Amodei’s response to Titus and Lee criticism
Asked if Titus and Lee’s actions create any lasting animosity, Amodei said no.
“I’ve worked with Dina in the state Legislature,” he said, “and Dina is still one of my favorites. It might upset her that I say that. But anyhow, that stuff’s all fine.”
But that’s not to say he agrees with what they said.
“I get the drama,” Amodei said. “It makes nice copy, but its resemblance to the truth is nonexistent.”
The future of Nevada lands bills
It may not have been wise to tank the Utah portion of his amendment because doing so went against the wishes of Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Amodei said.
Lee heads the Senate Natural Resources Committee.
“That’s kind of a curious guy to punch in the face when Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto have a Southern Nevada lands bill that’s introduced over there and it’s going to go through that committee,” Amodei said of Nevada’s two Democratic senators.
Especially with Rosen and Cortez Masto being in the minority party, now their attempts to get lands bills approved — including Rosen’s for Washoe County — may face an even steeper climb.
But Amodei is optimistic for his own lands bill efforts in Northern Nevada that would include conservation and tribal components that weren’t allowed as part of the current budget bill process.
“We’ve got new credibility in terms of the teamwork department and are looking forward to hearings in the House Natural Resources Committee, which we expect — as a result of all this — to be on an expedited basis,” he said.
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.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom won’t admit it, but a move by President Donald Trump is especially helpful to drivers in California — and Nevada.
Gasoline prices are pressuring consumers around the country. On Friday, the average U.S. price was $4.55 a gallon. In California, that would be a bargain. The average there was $6.16 a gallon. Nevada’s average was $5.23 a gallon, the result of around 88 percent of the state’s gasoline coming from California.
It might be getting worse — regardless of what happens in Iran.
In recent months, two major California refineries have shut down. That represented a 17 percent reduction in California’s refining capacity. Their closures weren’t caused by the Iran war, but by Gov. Newsom and California’s relentless attacks on fossil fuels.
To make up for the fuel it won’t extract or refine in-state, California depends on imports from foreign countries.
“We are importing 30 percent of our crude oil from the Middle East,” Mike Ariza, a former control board supervisor at the Valero Benicia Refinery, said in an interview. He has been warning the public about California’s potential fuel shortage. “There are not very many ships left on the way that have fuel,” he said last month.
Last week, KCRA-TV in Sacramento reported that “about 2 million barrels of oil are in the process of being unloaded in Long Beach off of the last California-bound tanker that got through the Strait of Hormuz.”
At a California legislative hearing Tuesday, Siva Gunda, the vice chairman of the California Energy Commission, said the state has enough gasoline to accommodate demand for the next six weeks. That’s not a very long time, especially given that it takes weeks or months for oil to travel from the Middle East to California. And that process won’t begin until the Strait of Hormuz reopens.
There is a region, however, with abundant oil available for sale and safe passage — the southeastern United States. Unfortunately, the Jones Act, an antiquated 1920 law, mandates that only U.S.-flagged ships may move cargo between U.S. ports. But only 55 of the more than 7,000 oil tankers worldwide comply with this requirement.
This is where Mr. Trump rode to the rescue. Late last month, the White House announced Mr. Trump would suspend the Jones Act for another 90 days. In March, he originally waived it for 60 days. This will make it easier for California and Nevada to obtain domestic product.
If only Mr. Trump could also suspend the destructive energy policies imposed by Gov. Newsom and California Democrats.
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — An adoptable pet is in the spotlight for “Furever Home Friday,” with Amy from the Nevada SPCA featured in a segment highlighting an animal available for adoption today.
The Nevada SPCA encouraged viewers looking to add a pet to their family to consider adopting.
Alex LaRosa hit for a .262 batting average in 50 plate appearances for the Bishop Gorman baseball team through its 32 games played entering Thursday.
But with a chance for the Gaels to punch their ticket to the Class 5A state tournament, LaRosa came up with the biggest swing of his season.
LaRosa hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning and broke a tie game, which proved to be the deciding run in Gorman’s 8-4 win over Centennial on Thursday night at Durango High in a 5A Southern Region winners bracket final.
The Gaels (28-6) have qualified for the 5A state tournament, which begins May 14 at Las Vegas High. The Gaels also advance to Saturday’s 5A Southern Region title game at 10 a.m. Saturday at Durango.
“My teammates, they just push me to be better in everything to do,” LaRosa said. “I know if I get on, they’re going to to get the job done and score me. My job, hitting in the bottom of the lineup is making sure I get on base anyway I can. I just put a good swing on the ball and it got out.”
Centennial falls to the losers bracket final and will play either Arbor View or Palo Verde at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Durango to determine Gorman’s opponent for Saturday and the South’s second spot in the state tournament. Arbor View and Palo Verde play in an earlier elimination at 4 p.m. Friday at Durango to determine Centennial’s opponent.
”It feels good, we fell short the last couple of years (of reaching the state tournament),” LaRosa said. “It just feels good to finall be in it and hopefully we keep going and win it.”
LaRosa’s blast was much needed after a disastrous bottom of the fifth inning for Gorman. The Gaels led 4-0, but Centennial (25-10) cut into the deficit when Jaxon Burr singled which scored Chase Hurley, who led the inning off with a triple.
Then Jake Turner hit a fly ball to left-center field, and as Gorman center fielder DeMari Hall and Logan Grubbs dived for the ball, they collided and the ball went all the way to the wall for a two-run, inside-the-park home run.
Four batters later, Gorman catcher Austin Argenta threw to first base to pick off runner Trevor Henson, but Argenta’s throw was wild and sailed into left field, scoring Kane Barber from second, tying the game.
“I had just given a speech right before we went out to hit that we were good, we weren’t losing this game,” LaRosa said. “We’re still in this game and the dugout went crazy. We just exploded after that.”
LaRosa, who finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, followed up with his home run in the top of the sixth, which hit the top of the left field fence. That caused a brief discussion between the three umpires before they confirmed it was a home run.
“I was just looking for a fastball to drive into the gap so my teammates could drive me in, but I got lucky, back spun it and it got out of here,” LaRosa said. “At first, I thought it was gone and then I looked up and the ball bounced back in the field.
“Then the (umpire) told me it was a home run and I kind of blacked out. It was a surreal feeling.”
Grubbs added an RBI single in the top of the seventh for Gorman. Chase Wilk was 2-for-4 with a home run in the second, a run scored during a three-run Gorman fourth inning and an RBI on a ground out in the seventh.
Justin Rodrigues had a two-run double in the fourth capped off the fourth inning for Gorman, which put the Gaels ahead 4-0. Rodriguez went 2-for-4 and recorded the final three outs on the mound for the Gaels.
Hurley and Burr each had two hits and a run scored for Centennial.
“It feels good, just returning to a national powerhouse that we were,” LaRosa said. “It’s the standard to be in the state tournament every year and compete for that state championship. So it feels good to bring the culture back to Gorman.”
Other 5A baseball results
No. 2S Arbor View 11, No. 2M Faith Lutheran 3: At Durango, Devin Martin’s two-run home run capped off an eight-run fourth inning for Arbor View, which helped the Aggies (30-7) roll past Faith Lutheran (16-15) in a 5A Southern Region elimination game.
In the fourth inning against Faith Lutheran, the Aggies scored twice on bases loaded walk, a wild pitch, a two-run single from Rhett Bryce and an RBI single by Angelo Ugarte before Martin hit his home run.
Martin finished with three RBIs and Ugarte added two RBIs. Rookie Shepard and Kingston Kela each recorded an RBI for Faith Lutheran.
No. 3M Palo Verde 7, No. 2D Desert Oasis 5: At Durango, Stone Amsden’s grand slam highlighted a seven-run seventh inning to give Palo Verde the lead, and the Panthers (26-8) held on to beat Desert Oasis (26-8-1) in an elimination game.
Desert Oasis, the Desert League’s No. 2 seed, led 4-0 entering the seventh. Owen Anderson and Matthew Simmler each had an RBI single, and Kyle Johnson scored in a wild pitch before Amsden’s homer put the Panthers, the Mountain League’s No. 3 seed ahead.
Amsden finished 2-for-4 for Palo Verde. The Panthers had just six hits.
Lincoln Guillermo was 2-for-4 with a home run for Desert Oasis, and Brody Griffith was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Landon O’Dell had an RBI single for the Diamondbacks and Aidan Smith added an RBI and a run scored.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
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