Today, Senator Heller re-introduced the Pershing County Economic Development and Conservation Act of 2017 in the Senate (S. 414). Representatives Amodei and Titus quickly followed suit to re-introduce the House version of the bill (H.R. 1107). We applaud our members of the Nevada delegation who are working to advance this landmark bi-partisan legislation that will protect wilderness and wildlife habitat, provide needed economic development for local communities, and resolve long-standing public land issues within the County.
The Pershing County Economic Development and Conservation Act has been heralded by the Pershing County Commission and diverse stakeholders as a “win for everyone” and, if passed, would address several community needs in the County including conservation, economic development, recreation, and land management. The bill will designate seven key wilderness areas across the County: Cain Mountain, Bluewing, Selenite Peak, Mount Limbo, North Sahwave, Grandfathers’ (Tobin Crest), and Fencemaker. Total wilderness acreage amounts to a little over 136,000 acres – that’s 136,000 acres of permanently protected wildlife habitat, natural vistas, and rugged terrain to explore.
The legislation also seeks to help resolve the checkerboard pattern in Pershing County and gives the Pershing County Commission more control of what lands along the checkerboard they would like to see developed.
Friends of Nevada Wilderness worked closely with the Pershing County Commission, fellow conservationists, mining companies, ranchers, prospectors, and Pershing County residents to agree on common-sense wilderness boundaries and to make this proposal the best it can be. We truly appreciate the vision and leadership of Senators Reid and Heller in the last Congress, the Pershing County Commissioners, and Senator Heller, Congressman Amodei, and Congresswoman Titus this Congress who have worked towards advancing this public lands proposal. We look forward to working with them as the bill advances through Congress.
