Washington, D.C. - Today Representative Dina Titus released the following statement in response to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s commitment of more than $348 million to support 62 public lands projects throughout Nevada and the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin, as required by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA):

“This commitment of over $348 million for improvements to recreational parks, wildfire prevention, and wildlife habitat protection is welcome news for Nevadans,” said Representative Titus. “These investments are important for conservation efforts and vital for our outdoor recreation economy which generates $12.6 billion in annual consumer spending and supports over 87,000 jobs.

“Travel and tourism are key to Nevada’s economy, which has been hit hard by COVID-19, and each of these projects will help sustain our state’s recovery and benefit Nevada’s residents and visitors who enjoy hiking, swimming, and playing in our parks and open spaces.”

The Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) is historic legislation signed into law in 1998. Rep. Dina Titus was part of the unanimous Nevada Senate vote in 1997 endorsing the SNPLMA in AJR 8. It requires that the funds derived from the sale of federal lands in Clark County be returned to the community through projects evaluated by the Bureau of Land Management and approved by the Secretary of the Interior. SNPLMA has funded over 1,200 local projects, including renovation of Lorenzi Park and the construction of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area visitor center.

Congresswoman Titus spent two years fighting the previous administration for Round of 17 grants from the close of the solicitation period in May of 2017 to their commitment in May of 2019. Congresswoman Titus had previously written to Secretary Haaland in May of this year urging the agency to complete the Round of 18 process. 

Round of 18 projects include $34,640,296 for Red Rock Canyon Legacy Trail and $19,834,600 for Sloan Canyon Visitor Contact Station. A full list of individual projects supported by these funds can be found here by selecting “Round 18” and clicking “search.”

Attached letters: (1) Titus May 7 Letter to Sec. Haaland re: SNPLMA.pdf