Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Promoting National Security and Preserving Access to Public Land in Southern Nevada Act of 2023”.
Promoting National Security and Preserving Access to Public Land in Southern Nevada Act of 2023
A BILL
To amend the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area Act to adjust the boundary of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, to amend the Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and Authorization Act of 1989 to include the city of North Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Apex Industrial Park Owners Association, to clarify the authority of the Department of Defense to conduct certain military activities at the Nevada Test and Training Range, to designate the Southern Paiute Wilderness in the State of Nevada, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area boundary adjustment
Definitions— In this section:
Conservation area— The term Conservation Area means the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area.
Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior (acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management).
Boundary adjustment—
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 June 7, 2023”.
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”.
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 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—
“(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).
“(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.”
Preservation of transmission and utility corridors and rights-of-Way— The expansion of the Conservation Area boundary under the amendment made by subsection (b)—
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 enactment of this Act;
shall not preclude—
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
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) in accordance with—
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and other applicable laws; and
subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary determines to be appropriate; and
except as provided in the amendment made by subsection (c), modifies the management of the Conservation Area pursuant to section 605 of the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area Act (16 U.S.C. 460qqq–3).
Sec. 3 Amendments to the Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and Authorization Act of 1989
Definitions— Section 2(b) of the Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and Authorization Act of 1989 (Public Law 101–67; 103 Stat. 169) is amended—
in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “As used in this Act, the following terms shall have the following meanings—” and inserting “In this Act:”;
in each of paragraphs (1), (2), (4), and (5), by inserting a paragraph heading, the text of which comprises the term defined in that paragraph;
in paragraph (3), by inserting “County; Clark County.—” before “The term”;
in paragraph (6)—
by inserting “FLPMA terms.—” before “All”; and
by inserting “(43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)” before the period at the end;
by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6) as paragraphs (7), (6), (4), (5), (2), and (8), respectively;
by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so redesignated) the following:
“(1) Apex Industrial Park Owners Association—The term Apex Industrial Park Owners Association means the Apex Industrial Park Owners Association formed on April 9, 2001, and chartered in the State of Nevada (including any successor in interest).”
by inserting after paragraph (2) (as so redesignated) the following:
“(3) City—The term “City” means the city of North Las Vegas, Nevada.”
Kerr-McGee site transfer— Section 3(b) of the Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and Authorization Act of 1989 (Public Law 101–67; 103 Stat. 170) is amended—
in the first sentence—
by striking “Clark County” and inserting “Clark County, the City, or the Apex Industrial Park Owners Association, individually or jointly, as appropriate,”; and
by striking “Site” and inserting “Site and other land conveyed in accordance with this Act”; and
in the third sentence, by striking “Clark County” and inserting “Clark County, the City, or the Apex Industrial Park Owners Association, individually or jointly, as appropriate,”.
Authorization for additional transfers— Section 4 of the Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and Authorization Act of 1989 (Public Law 101–67; 103 Stat. 171) is amended—
in subsection (c), by striking “Clark County” and inserting “Clark County, the City, or the Apex Industrial Park Owners Association, individually or jointly, as appropriate,”; and
in subsection (e), by adding at the end the following:
“(3) Mineral materials sale—Notwithstanding the requirements of part 3600 of title 43, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this paragraph), the Secretary may sell, at not less than fair market value, without advertising or calling for bids and without regard to volume or time limitations, mineral materials resulting from grading, land balancing, or other activities on the surface of a parcel of land within the Apex Site for which the United States retains an interest in the minerals.”
Environmental considerations— Section 6 of the Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and Authorization Act of 1989 (Public Law 101–67; 103 Stat. 173) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(d) Compliance with environmental assessments—Each transfer by the United States of land or interest in lands within the Apex Site or rights-of-way issued pursuant to this Act shall be conditioned on the compliance with applicable Federal land laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.).”
Sec. 4 Clarification of authority of Department Of Defense to conduct certain military activities at Nevada Test and Training Range
Specification of authorized military activities— Paragraph (1) of section 3011(b) of the Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1999 (title XXX of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000; Public Law 106–65; 113 Stat. 886) is amended—
in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting “, subject to the conditions set forth in subsection (a) of section 3014” after “Secretary of the Air Force”;
by striking “and” at the end of subparagraph (C);
by redesignating subparagraph (D) as subparagraph (G); and
by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following new subparagraphs:
“(D) for emergency response;
“(E) for the establishment and use of existing or new electronic tracking and communications sites, including the construction of up to 15 equipment pads, no larger than 150-by-150 feet in size, along existing roads to allow placement and operation of threat emitters;
“(F) for the use and maintenance of roads in existence as of January 1, 2024, to allow access to threat emitters and repeaters for installation, maintenance, and periodic relocation; and”
Interagency committee— Section 3011(b)(5)(G), as added by paragraph (1) of section 2844(b) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 134 Stat. 4351), is further amended—
by amending clause (i) to read as follows:
“(i) In general—The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of the Air Force shall jointly establish an interagency committee (referred to in this subparagraph as the ‘interagency committee’) to—
“(I) facilitate coordination, manage public access needs and requirements, and minimize potential conflict between the Department of the Interior and the Department of the Air Force with respect to joint operating areas within the Desert National Wildlife Refuge; and
“(II) discuss the activities authorized in paragraph (1) and provide input to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Air Force when assessing whether these activities may be conducted on the joint operating areas within the Desert National Wildlife Refuge that are under the primary jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior in a manner that is consistent with the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act (16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.) and other applicable law.”
in clause (ii)—
by inserting “, including a designee of the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service” before the period at the end of subclause (I); and
by inserting “, including a designee of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment” before the period at the end of subclause (II).
Additional purpose of intergovernmental executive committee— Section 3011(b)(H)(5)(ii), as added by paragraph (2) of such section 2844(b), is amended in clause (ii)—
by striking “and” at the end of subclause (I);
by striking the period at the end of subclause (II) and inserting “; and”; and
by adding at the end the following new subclause:
“(III) discussing and making recommendations to the interagency committee established under subparagraph (G) with respect to any proposal by the Secretary of the Air Force to undertake any of the activities authorized in paragraph (1) on the joint operating areas within the Desert National Wildlife Refuge.”
Sec. 5 Designation of Southern Paiute Wilderness, Nevada
Definitions— In this section:
Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
State— The term “State” means the State of Nevada.
Wilderness area— The term wilderness area means the wilderness area designated by subsection (b)(1).
Addition to the National Wilderness Preservation System—
Designation— In accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), there is designated as wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System the approximately 736,188 acres of Federal land managed by the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in Clark and Lincoln Counties, Nevada, to be known as the “Southern Paiute Wilderness”.
Boundary— The boundary of any portion of the wilderness area that is bordered by a road shall be not less than 50 feet from the centerline of the road.
Map and legal description—
In general— As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a map and legal description of the wilderness area.
Effect— The map and legal description prepared under subparagraph (A) shall have the same force and effect as if included in this section, except that the Secretary may correct clerical and typographical errors in the map or legal description.
Availability— The map and legal description prepared under subparagraph (A) shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Withdrawal— Subject to valid existing rights, the wilderness area is withdrawn from—
all forms of entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws;
location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and
operation of the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws.
Management— Subject to valid existing rights, the wilderness area shall be administered by the Secretary in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), except that—
any reference in that Act to the effective date of that Act shall be considered to be a reference to the date of enactment of this Act; and
any reference in that Act to the Secretary of Agriculture shall be considered to be a reference to the Secretary.
Incorporation of acquired land and interests in land— Any land or interest in land within the boundary of the wilderness area that is acquired by the United States after the date of enactment of this Act shall be added to, and administered as part of, the wilderness area.
Water rights—
Findings— Congress finds that—
the land designated as the wilderness area—
is within the Mojave Desert;
is arid in nature; and
includes ephemeral streams;
the hydrology of the land designated as the wilderness area is predominantly characterized by complex flow patterns and alluvial fans with impermanent channels;
the subsurface hydrogeology of the region in which the land designated as the wilderness area is located is characterized by—
groundwater subject to local and regional flow gradients; and
unconfined and artesian conditions;
the land designated as the wilderness area is generally not suitable for use or development of new water resource facilities; and
because of the unique nature and hydrology of the desert land in the wilderness area, it is possible to provide for proper management and protection of the wilderness area and other values of land in ways different from ways used in other laws.
Effect— Nothing in this section—
constitutes an express or implied reservation by the United States of any water or water rights with respect to the wilderness area;
affects any water rights in the State (including any water rights held by the United States) in existence on the date of enactment of this Act;
establishes a precedent with regard to any future wilderness designations;
affects the interpretation of, or any designation made under, any other Act; or
limits, alters, modifies, or amends any interstate compact or equitable apportionment decree that apportions water among and between the State and other States.
State water law— The Secretary shall follow the procedural and substantive requirements of State law in order to obtain and hold any water rights not in existence on the date of enactment of this Act with respect to the wilderness area.
New projects—
Definition of water resource facility—
In general— In this paragraph, the term water resource facility means an irrigation or pumping facility, reservoir, water conservation work, aqueduct, canal, ditch, pipeline, well, hydropower project, transmission or other ancillary facility, and other water diversion, storage, or carriage structure.
Exclusion— In this paragraph, the term water resource facility does not include a wildlife guzzler.
Restriction on new water resource facilities— Except as otherwise provided in this section, on and after the date of enactment of this Act, neither the President nor any other officer, employee, or agent of the United States shall fund, assist, authorize, or issue a license or permit for the development of any new water resource facility within the wilderness area.
Wildfire, insects, and disease— In accordance with section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(1)), the Secretary may take such measures in the wilderness area as are necessary for the control of fire, insects, and diseases (including, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, the coordination of the activities with a State or local agency).
Data collection— Subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe, nothing in this section precludes the installation and maintenance of hydrologic, meteorological, or climatological collection devices in the wilderness area, if the Secretary determines that the devices and access to the devices are essential to flood warning, flood control, or water reservoir operation activities.
Military overflights— Nothing in this section restricts or precludes—
low-level overflights of military aircraft over the wilderness area, including military overflights that can be seen or heard within the wilderness area;
flight testing or evaluation; or
the designation or creation of new units of special use airspace or the establishment of military flight training routes, over the wilderness area.
Wildlife management—
In general— In accordance with section 4(d)(7) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(7)), nothing in this section affects or diminishes the jurisdiction of the State with respect to fish and wildlife management, including the regulation of hunting, fishing, and trapping, in the wilderness area.
Management activities— In furtherance of the purposes and principles of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the Secretary may conduct any management activities in the wilderness area that are necessary to maintain or restore fish and wildlife populations and the habitats to support the populations, if the activities are carried out—
consistent with relevant wilderness management plans or comprehensive conservation plans; and
in accordance with—
the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.); and
appropriate policies, including policies authorizing the occasional and temporary use of motorized vehicles, if the use, as determined by the Secretary, would promote healthy, viable, and more naturally distributed wildlife populations that would enhance wilderness values with the minimal impact necessary to reasonably accomplish those tasks.
Existing activities— In accordance with section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(1)), the State may continue to use aircraft (including helicopters) to survey, capture, transplant, monitor, and provide water for wildlife populations.
Wildlife water development projects— Subject to subsection (e), the Secretary shall authorize structures and facilities, including existing structures and facilities, for wildlife water development projects, including guzzlers, in the wilderness area if—
the structures and facilities would, as determined by the Secretary, enhance wilderness values by promoting healthy, viable, and more naturally distributed wildlife populations; and
the visual impacts of the structures and facilities on the wilderness area can reasonably be minimized.
Hunting, fishing, and trapping—
In general— The Secretary may designate areas in which, and establish periods during which, for reasons of public safety, administration, or compliance with applicable laws, no hunting, fishing, or trapping will be permitted in the wilderness area.
Consultation— Except in an emergency, the Secretary shall consult with the appropriate State agency and notify the public before taking any action under subparagraph (A).
Preservation of public access— The area depicted as “Corn Creek / Alamo Road” on the map entitled “Desert National Wildlife Range Proposed Southern Paiute Wilderness Area” and dated September 7, 2023, shall be preserved for public access.
Effect of Act— Nothing in this Act rescinds or precludes the continued management of any other area of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge as proposed wilderness until the date on which the area is designated as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System by a subsequent Act of Congress.
Sec. 6 Bureau of Land management and State of Nevada cooperative agreement
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report that describes the status of the cooperative agreement authorized under section 2905(j)(6) of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 136 Stat. 3043).