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H.R. 972 · House bill · 119th Congress
This act expands the boundaries of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area in Clark County, Nevada, and grants rights-of-way through the conservation area and other land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the construction of a water transmission pipeline and related facilities.
Specifically, the act requires the BLM to grant certain rights-of-way to the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) for the purposes of (1) performing geotechnical investigations within the rights-of-way, and (2) constructing and operating a water pipeline and related facilities.
The rights-of-way may not be located through or under areas designated as wilderness, and construction of the pipeline may not permanently adversely affect surface resources within the conservation area. The BLM may place other reasonable terms and conditions on the issuance of rights-of-way as necessary to protect the conservation area’s resources.
In tunneling the water pipeline, SNWA may excavate and dispose of sand, gravel, minerals, and other materials as needed. The BLM must enter into a memorandum of understanding with SNWA to identify federal land on which SNWA may dispose of such materials.
The act also adds approximately 9,290 acres of land to the conservation area. This expansion of the conservation area is subject to valid existing rights (e.g., utility transmission rights), must not preclude authorized activities within existing rights-of-way or corridors, and must not preclude the BLM from authorizing new utility rights-of-way.
Notes in plain words
This Act may be cited as the “Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act”.
In this Act:
(1) Conservation area.— The term “Conservation Area” means the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area.
(2) Secretary.— The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management.
(a) Boundary adjustment.—
(1) Map.— Section 603(4) of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area Act (16 U.S.C. 460qqq–1(4)) is amended by striking “map entitled “Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act” and dated October 1, 2002” and inserting “map entitled “Proposed Sloan Canyon Expansion” and dated May 20, 2024”.
(2) Acreage.— Section 604(b) of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area Act (16 U.S.C. 460qqq–2(b)) is amended by striking “48,438” and inserting “57,728”.1
(b) Right-of-Way.— Section 605 of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area Act (16 U.S.C. 460qqq–3) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(h) Horizon lateral pipeline right-of-Way.—
(1) In general.— Notwithstanding sections 202 and 503 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712, 1763) and subject to valid existing rights and paragraph (3), the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (referred to in this subsection as the “Secretary”), shall, not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, grant to the Southern Nevada Water Authority (referred to in this subsection as the “Authority”), not subject to the payment of rents or other charges, the temporary and permanent water pipeline infrastructure, and outside the boundaries of the Conservation Area, powerline, facility, and access road rights-of-way depicted on the map for the purposes of—2
(A) performing geotechnical investigations within the rights-of-way; and
(B) constructing and operating water transmission and related facilities.
(2) Excavation and disposal.—
(A) In general.— The Authority may, without consideration, excavate and use or dispose of sand, gravel, minerals, or other materials from the tunneling of the water pipeline necessary to fulfill the purpose of the rights-of-way granted under paragraph (1).3
(B) Memorandum of understanding.— Not later than 30 days after the date on which the rights-of-way are granted under paragraph (1), the Secretary and the Authority shall enter into a memorandum of understanding identifying Federal land on which the Authority may dispose of materials under subparagraph (A) to further the interests of the Bureau of Land Management.
(3) Requirements.— A right-of-way issued under this subsection shall be subject to the following requirements:
(A) The Secretary may include reasonable terms and conditions, consistent with section 505 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1765), as are necessary to protect Conservation Area resources.
(B) Construction of the water pipeline shall not permanently adversely affect conservation area surface resources.
(C) The right-of-way shall not be located through or under any area designated as wilderness.”.4
(c) Preservation of transmission and utility corridors and rights-of-Way.— The expansion of the Conservation Area boundary under the amendment made by subsection (a)—
(1) shall be subject to valid existing rights, including land within a designated utility transmission corridor or a transmission line right-of-way grant approved by the Secretary in a record of decision issued before the date of the enactment of this Act;5
(2) shall not preclude—
(A) any activity authorized in accordance with a designated corridor or right-of-way referred to in paragraph (1), including the operation, maintenance, repair, or replacement of any authorized utility facility within the corridor or right-of-way; or
(B) the Secretary from authorizing the establishment of a new utility facility right-of-way within an existing designated transportation and utility corridor referred to in paragraph (1)—
(i) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and other applicable laws; and
(ii) subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
(d) Management of the Conservation Area.— Except as provided in the amendment made by subsection (b), nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this Act shall modify the management of the Conservation Area pursuant to section 605 of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area Act (16 U.S.C. 460qqq–3).
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Notes explain the text. They do not say whether the bill is good or bad. Each was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the text by another company’s model before publishing. How we write bill notes