Administration concerned, but likely will back BLM land sale

Scott Sonner

Wednesday, May 6, 1998 | 4:02 a.m.

WASHINGTON - A Clinton administration official cited several problems Wednesday with a plan to sell 22,000 acres of federal land around Las Vegas, but predicted they could be overcome and that the president ultimately would support it.

Members of Nevada's congressional delegation said they were surprised the Bureau of Land Management still had concerns about the proposal intended to help ease urban pressures on the fastest growing metropolitan area in the country. But they too were optimistic a compromise would be struck this year.

"I think we can work out the few remaining details we have," BLM Deputy Director Tom Fry said Wednesday.

"We look forward to Congress passing this act and the president signing it into law," he told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee on forests and public land management.

Fry and Nevada's four Congress members testified before the panel led by Western Republicans often at odds with the Clinton administration over federal logging, livestock grazing and other resource issues.

"I'm pleased to be here and not have to use the 'veto' word," Fry told Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, chairman of the subcommittee.

Nevertheless, Fry said administration officials still want some changes in the bill. Among other things, they strongly oppose part of the bill that would waive environmental laws for the construction of a youth activity facility.

"Such waivers undercut the applicability of the laws, undermine enforcement, possibly lead to serious environmental problems and set a dangerous precedent," Fry said.

They also want the interior secretary to retain sole discretion over a final decision to sell the lands, rather than the joint decision between local and federal officials as called for in the bill.

"We believe strongly in consultation with local governments, but do not believe they should have veto power," Fry said.

The administration also opposes transferring 4,600 acres located within the Las Vegas Airport noise area to Clark County at no cost.

Under the bill, 85 percent of the revenue - estimated as high as $800 million - would go to the federal government for the exclusive use of purchasing environmentally sensitive land in Nevada, mostly around Lake Tahoe.

Ten percent would go to Southern Nevada Water Authority and 5 percent to the state education fund.

The original bill called for the money to be split 50-50 between the state and federal government, but the administration opposed that.

In fact, the administration has adamantly opposed most proposals to sell off federal resources and has taken a stand against a proposal by Sen. Dirk Kempthorne, R-Idaho, to finance enforcement of the Endangered Species Act through the sale of federal lands.

But Fry said about the Nevada bill on Wednesday, "This kind of sharing in this limited circumstance is very appropriate."

All four Nevada lawmakers support the measure, including Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who faces a re-election challenge from Rep. John Ensign, R-Nev.

"It's hard to find anybody in our state who would be opposed to this legislation," Ensign said. He said it would provide as much as $800 million to buy other lands in the state.

Reid said he was "somewhat surprised and disappointed" the BLM would raise concerns "this late in the process.

"But I think these are hurdles not difficult to overcome," Reid said.

The Las Vegas valley is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the country and needs extra room to expand into the BLM territories, the lawmakers said.

"Since the beginning of this decade, nearly 5,000 people each month, on average, have chosen to make Las Vegas their new home," Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., said.

"The Clark County School District needs the equivalent of a new elementary school every 30 days for the next five years to keep pace with the 12,000 new students entering the school system each year in Southern Nevada," he said.

Bryan said he had spoken to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt about the proposal several times "and I can assure the committee that he shares my enthusiasm for its quick passage."

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said the proposed open auction of the lands to the highest bidders would help resolve disagreements over the value of the land.

"BLM appraises the land as being fully developed, trying to maximize the return on public lands, while developers feel the land would continue to be sagebrush without their development, so they want the land appraised as desert," he said.