Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee, Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Introduced
In Committee
On Floor
Passed Chamber
Enacted
The "Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act" aims to balance economic development and conservation in Washoe County, Nevada, through various land management provisions. It authorizes the conveyance of approximately 3,600 acres of federal land from the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service to the cities of Reno and Sparks, Washoe County, the Washoe County School District, the Incline Village General Improvement District, the Gerlach General Improvement District, the State of Nevada, the Truckee River Flood Management Authority, and the University of Nevada, Reno. These conveyances are for public purposes such as parks, schools, flood control, and infrastructure expansion, with all associated costs borne by the recipients and reversion clauses if uses cease. The bill also outlines the sale of certain federal lands in Washoe County, including parcels transferred from the Forest Service and Bureau of Reclamation to the Secretary of the Interior for disposal. These sales will be conducted through a competitive bidding process at not less than fair market value, with provisions for jointly selecting parcels with Washoe County and making some available for affordable housing at less than fair market value. Proceeds from these sales are allocated, with 5 percent for state education, 10 percent for Truckee River conservation projects, and 85 percent deposited into a special account for acquiring environmentally sensitive land, managing conservation areas, developing parks and trails, reducing wildfire fuels, and funding environmental restoration in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Significant portions of federal land will be transferred into trust for several Indian Tribes, expanding their reservations. Approximately 11,373 acres will be held in trust for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe , and 8,319 acres for the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony . Additionally, 160 acres of existing Reno-Sparks Indian Colony fee land will be placed into trust. For the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California , about 601 acres of BLM land and 494 acres of Forest Service land, along with 2 acres of their existing fee land, will be taken into trust. Gaming is explicitly prohibited on the newly designated trust lands for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and the Washoe Tribe. The legislation designates five new wilderness areas, adding over 220,000 acres to the National Wilderness Preservation System. These include the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness (112,002 acres), Bitner Table Wilderness (25,216 acres), Wrangler Canyon Wilderness (49,540 acres), Burro Mountain Wilderness (6,343 acres), and Granite-Banjo Wilderness (30,000 acres). These areas will be managed under the Wilderness Act, with specific provisions for existing livestock grazing, military overflights, wildfire management, and the protection of Native American cultural uses. The bill also releases several existing Wilderness Study Areas from further wilderness consideration. Five new National Conservation Areas are established, totaling over 630,000 acres, including the Massacre Rim Dark Sky, Kiba Canyon Range, Smoke Creek, Pah Rah, and Fox Range National Conservation Areas. These areas are designated to conserve and enhance their cultural, natural, scientific, and recreational resources, with a specific emphasis on dark sky resources for several of them. Management plans will be developed with public input, and these areas will be withdrawn from mineral entry, while allowing for continued grazing and wildlife management. Finally, the bill mandates the Secretary to accept voluntary donations of grazing permits and leases within the Mosquito Valley and Horse Lake allotments, leading to their termination and a permanent end to grazing on those lands. It also withdraws specific National Forest System and Bureau of Land Management lands, totaling over 170,000 acres, from public land laws, mining laws, and mineral leasing to protect their natural values, while preserving existing utility rights-of-way.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Congressional oversightFederal-Indian relationsGeography and mappingHousing supply and affordabilityHunting and fishingIndian lands and resources rightsLand transfersLand use and conservationLicensing and registrationsLivestockNevadaWater resources fundingWilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act
USA119th CongressS-462| Senate
| Updated: 2/12/2026
The "Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act" aims to balance economic development and conservation in Washoe County, Nevada, through various land management provisions. It authorizes the conveyance of approximately 3,600 acres of federal land from the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service to the cities of Reno and Sparks, Washoe County, the Washoe County School District, the Incline Village General Improvement District, the Gerlach General Improvement District, the State of Nevada, the Truckee River Flood Management Authority, and the University of Nevada, Reno. These conveyances are for public purposes such as parks, schools, flood control, and infrastructure expansion, with all associated costs borne by the recipients and reversion clauses if uses cease. The bill also outlines the sale of certain federal lands in Washoe County, including parcels transferred from the Forest Service and Bureau of Reclamation to the Secretary of the Interior for disposal. These sales will be conducted through a competitive bidding process at not less than fair market value, with provisions for jointly selecting parcels with Washoe County and making some available for affordable housing at less than fair market value. Proceeds from these sales are allocated, with 5 percent for state education, 10 percent for Truckee River conservation projects, and 85 percent deposited into a special account for acquiring environmentally sensitive land, managing conservation areas, developing parks and trails, reducing wildfire fuels, and funding environmental restoration in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Significant portions of federal land will be transferred into trust for several Indian Tribes, expanding their reservations. Approximately 11,373 acres will be held in trust for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe , and 8,319 acres for the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony . Additionally, 160 acres of existing Reno-Sparks Indian Colony fee land will be placed into trust. For the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California , about 601 acres of BLM land and 494 acres of Forest Service land, along with 2 acres of their existing fee land, will be taken into trust. Gaming is explicitly prohibited on the newly designated trust lands for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and the Washoe Tribe. The legislation designates five new wilderness areas, adding over 220,000 acres to the National Wilderness Preservation System. These include the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness (112,002 acres), Bitner Table Wilderness (25,216 acres), Wrangler Canyon Wilderness (49,540 acres), Burro Mountain Wilderness (6,343 acres), and Granite-Banjo Wilderness (30,000 acres). These areas will be managed under the Wilderness Act, with specific provisions for existing livestock grazing, military overflights, wildfire management, and the protection of Native American cultural uses. The bill also releases several existing Wilderness Study Areas from further wilderness consideration. Five new National Conservation Areas are established, totaling over 630,000 acres, including the Massacre Rim Dark Sky, Kiba Canyon Range, Smoke Creek, Pah Rah, and Fox Range National Conservation Areas. These areas are designated to conserve and enhance their cultural, natural, scientific, and recreational resources, with a specific emphasis on dark sky resources for several of them. Management plans will be developed with public input, and these areas will be withdrawn from mineral entry, while allowing for continued grazing and wildlife management. Finally, the bill mandates the Secretary to accept voluntary donations of grazing permits and leases within the Mosquito Valley and Horse Lake allotments, leading to their termination and a permanent end to grazing on those lands. It also withdraws specific National Forest System and Bureau of Land Management lands, totaling over 170,000 acres, from public land laws, mining laws, and mineral leasing to protect their natural values, while preserving existing utility rights-of-way.
Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee, Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Introduced
In Committee
On Floor
Passed Chamber
Enacted
Congressional oversightFederal-Indian relationsGeography and mappingHousing supply and affordabilityHunting and fishingIndian lands and resources rightsLand transfersLand use and conservationLicensing and registrationsLivestockNevadaWater resources fundingWilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats