House OKs fed land for heliport

Tuesday, May 24, 2005 | 8:28 a.m.

SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- The House passed a bill by voice vote on Monday that conveys federal land in Clark County for operating a commercial heliport.

Reps. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Jim Gibbons and Jon Porter, both R-Nev., voted in favor of the bill, HR 849, which moves to the Senate.

The bill provides a parcel of land for operating a commercial heliport near Jean, about 35 miles south of Las Vegas.

The legislation restricts the flight path of helicopter tours over the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, a popular hiking, mounting biking and petroglyph preserve.

Funds from a conservation fee established in the bill will be deposited in a special account for use by the interior secretary for cultural, wildlife and wilderness resources management on public lands in Nevada.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has introduced a companion bill, S405, in the Senate.

Air tour operators have been based at McCarran International Airport for years, but with the growth of Southern Nevada, residents have complained about the noise from helicopter flights. Relocating the air tours relieves some pressure on the airport, the Nevada representatives said.