Senate Joint Resolution No. 3–Committee on
Natural Resources

 

(On Behalf of the Legislative Committee on Public Lands’ Subcommittee on Wilderness and
Wilderness Study Areas)

 

February 11, 2003

____________

 

Referred to Committee on Natural Resources

 

SUMMARY—Urges Congress to take certain actions concerning wilderness areas and wilderness study areas. (BDR R‑716)

 

FISCAL NOTE:  Effect on Local Government: No.

                   Effect on the State: No.

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

SENATE Joint RESOLUTION—Urging Congress to take certain actions concerning wilderness areas and wilderness study areas.

 

1-1  Whereas, The provisions of 16 U.S.C. §§ 1131 et seq.,

1-2  commonly referred to as the Wilderness Act, establish the National

1-3  Wilderness Preservation System, which consists of areas of federal

1-4  public land that are designated by Congress as wilderness areas; and

1-5  Whereas, Congress has designated approximately 1.7 million

1-6  acres of certain federal public lands in Nevada as wilderness areas;

1-7  and

1-8  Whereas, If an area of federal public land is designated as a

1-9  wilderness area, it must be managed in a manner that preserves the

1-10  wilderness character of the area and ensures that the area remains

1-11  unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as a wilderness area; and

1-12      Whereas, In conjunction with the provisions of the Wilderness

1-13  Act, the Bureau of Land Management of the Department of the

1-14  Interior in the late 1970s conducted an initial inventory of

1-15  approximately 49 million acres of federal public lands in Nevada to

1-16  determine the suitability of such lands for designation as wilderness

2-1  areas or identification as wilderness study areas and, in 1980,

2-2  recommended that approximately 5.1 million acres of those lands be

2-3  identified as wilderness study areas; and

2-4  Whereas, Until a wilderness study area is designated by

2-5  Congress as a wilderness area or released for multiple use, the

2-6  wilderness study area must be managed in a manner that does not

2-7  impair its suitability for preservation as a wilderness area; and

2-8  Whereas, In 1991, the Bureau of Land Management

2-9  recommended that Congress designate as wilderness areas

2-10  approximately 1.9 million acres of the 5.1 million acres of

2-11  wilderness study areas in Nevada and release the remainder of the

2-12  wilderness study areas for multiple use; and

2-13      Whereas, Although Congress recently enacted the Clark

2-14  County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of

2-15  2002, Public Law 107-282 (2002), which released approximately

2-16  224,000 acres in Clark County from its current status as wilderness

2-17  study areas, the recommendations made by the Bureau of Land

2-18  Management in 1991 have largely not been acted upon by Congress,

2-19  and the Bureau continues to manage approximately 5 million acres

2-20  of federal public lands in Nevada identified as wilderness study

2-21  areas; and

2-22      Whereas, It is important that decisions concerning whether to

2-23  designate wilderness study areas as wilderness areas or release those

2-24  areas for multiple use are made in a timely manner without any

2-25  unnecessary delays as the identification of federal public lands as

2-26  wilderness study areas imposes significant restrictions on the

2-27  management and use of those lands; and

2-28      Whereas, It is also important to protect the ecological health

2-29  and existing and potential economic and recreational benefits of

2-30  wilderness areas and wilderness study areas in this state by using

2-31  reasonable and effective methods of fire suppression in those areas;

2-32  and

2-33      Whereas, Because a considerable amount of federal public

2-34  land in Nevada has been designated as wilderness areas or identified

2-35  as wilderness study areas and because such designation or

2-36  identification imposes significant restrictions concerning the

2-37  management and use of such land, including land used for mining,

2-38  ranching and recreation, the Legislative Commission appointed a

2-39  subcommittee in 2001 to conduct an interim study of wilderness

2-40  areas and wilderness study areas in this state; and

2-41      Whereas, During the 2001-2002 legislative interim, the

2-42  subcommittee met several times throughout this state and facilitated

2-43  important and wide-ranging discussions among many agencies,

2-44  organizations and persons with diverse interests, perspectives and

3-1  expertise concerning wilderness areas and wilderness study areas;

3-2  and

3-3  Whereas, The subcommittee received a great deal of valuable

3-4  input from those agencies, organizations and persons, including

3-5  many valuable recommendations for Congress to consider in

3-6  addressing the issues concerning wilderness areas and wilderness

3-7  study areas in a responsible, reasonable and fair manner; now,

3-8  therefore, be it

3-9  Resolved by the Senate and Assembly of the State of

3-10  Nevada, Jointly, That the members of the Nevada Legislature

3-11  urge Congress to:

3-12      1.  Support efforts to ensure that adequate access to wilderness

3-13  areas and wilderness study areas is afforded to the appropriate

3-14  agencies and persons so that those agencies and persons may

3-15  effectively combat fires in wilderness areas and wilderness study

3-16  areas;

3-17      2.  Support the use of all reasonable and effective fire

3-18  suppression efforts in wilderness areas and wilderness study areas

3-19  without strictly confining such efforts only to the tools determined

3-20  by the federal agencies which manage federal public lands to be the

3-21  minimum tools necessary;

3-22      3.  Accept the recommendation of the Bureau of Land

3-23  Management to designate 1.9 million acres of certain wilderness

3-24  study areas in Nevada as wilderness areas while also incorporating

3-25  in the designation process flexibility to consider relevant

3-26  information such as growth to ensure the establishment of

3-27  appropriate boundaries for those areas and recognizing that such

3-28  consideration may result in a reasonable adjustment of those

3-29  boundaries;

3-30      4.  Oppose any efforts to conduct another inventory of the

3-31  federal public lands in Nevada for purposes of creating wilderness

3-32  areas or wilderness study areas;

3-33      5.  Ensure that more current information is considered before

3-34  acting on the recommendations of the Bureau of Land Management

3-35  concerning the designation of wilderness areas in Nevada as the

3-36  surveys of the Bureau were performed with limited time, resources

3-37  and technology; and

3-38      6.  Avoid any unnecessary delays in releasing wilderness study

3-39  areas for multiple use by establishing a plan for addressing the

3-40  release of wilderness study areas in a timely manner that includes a

3-41  schedule or plan for the timely consideration of important issues

3-42  concerning wilderness study areas; and be it further

3-43      Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and

3-44  transmit a copy of this resolution to the Vice President of the United

3-45  States as the presiding officer of the Senate, the Speaker of the

4-1  House of Representatives and each member of the Nevada

4-2  Congressional Delegation; and be it further

4-3  Resolved, That this resolution becomes effective upon

4-4  passage.

 

4-5  H