Public Lands

Nevadans must have a seat at the table

A significant issue for Nevadans, which dovetails with economic growth, is public land management. I believe that it is possible to leverage our natural resources in an economically and environmentally responsible way.

As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I am advancing land bills for a third of the counties in Nevada to strengthen local control over the federal lands, which compromise more than 85 percent of the state. I think that local communities should be able to decide for themselves the best uses for public lands to spur economic growth.

I'll continue to work with the support of my western colleagues to pass legislation to help Nevada leverage its vast public lands, while preserving our unique landscape and way of life. In these efforts, I am always cognizant of the importance of water rights and multi-use access.

Common sense federal solutions to our public land designations are possible, but local communities must have a seat at the table to overcome the "Washington knows best" mentality that routinely ignores the best interests of local stakeholders.

During my time in Congress I introduced more than a dozen bills related to land use decision in Nevada. This Congress I have introduced and will continue to introduce even more. The ultimate goal for each individual bill is to reduce the amount of federal land in each county and increase the land use decision making process to locally elected officials, communities, and stakeholders – not by bureaucrats at the BLM or Forest Service.