WASHINGTON, D.C -- Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), along with Representatives Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04), Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01), Mark Amodei (R-Nev.-02) and Susie Lee (D-Nev.-03) today announced the Desert National Wildlife Refuge and Nevada Test and Training Range Withdrawal and Management Act. The legislation protects 1.3 million acres of Wilderness and makes progress toward embeddingTribal considerations into land management. However, the legislation does allow for limited military expansion to address national safety and security needs.
“This legislation seeks a balance between national security needs and the need for land protection. We’re pleased to see this bill increase land protections, preserve public access, and ensure that local Tribes and wildlife agencies have a say in how the Refuge is managed,” said Athan Manuel, Sierra Club legislative director of lands protection.
“We appreciate Senator Cortez Masto and the rest of the delegation for listening to the majority of Nevadans — from Native American Tribes to rural counties, sportsmen to wildlife enthusiasts. The people have been clear in their desire to see Desert National Wildlife Refuge protected, not bombed. We understand the complicated and difficult requests that must be balanced here. We look forward to working with Nevada’s congressional delegation and other stakeholders to ensure this bill makes the protection of wildlife, their habitats, and the area’s cultural heritage the primary focus of all Desert Refuge lands," said Brian Beffort, Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter Director.
For years, diverse citizens and organizations from across Nevada and the country have come together to defend the Desert National Wildlife Refuge from military take-over. Nearly 30,000 public comments were submitted opposing the military expansion. The Nevada Legislature passed a bipartisan resolution (AJR2) urging Congress to oppose the military expansion.
Although this proposed legislation would give the military less than one-third of the expansion it has proposed, this still represents the loss of roughly 100,000 acres of public lands.
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.