Las Vegas Sun

December 6, 2009

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Editorial: Public lands bill sets right course

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 1998 | 10 a.m.

Under the bill, which now goes to President Clinton, the sale of federal lands will be by auction rather than the occasionally controversial land exchanges. The legislation also guarantees that all money from federal lands sold in Nevada will remain in the state.

Of the land that is sold, 85 percent of the funds will be used to acquire environmentally sensitive lands in Nevada and to fund infrastructure needs at national parks and recreation areas. Some money will also go to develop other parks and trails. And of the remaining 15 percent, the state of Nevada gets 5 percent of the proceeds to use for education and the Southern Nevada Water Authority will receive 10 percent for water treatment and pipelines.

Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. John Ensign, who are battling each other in a U.S. Senate race, have squabbled over who deserves the credit for the legislation. But there is no reason to quibble over this bill. There's enough credit to go around. It's excellent legislation that deserves President Clinton's signature.

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