Issue Position: Environment

Issue Position

Issue Position: Environment

One of the best legacies we can leave to our children is a clean environment and a history of preservation of our natural beauty and wilderness. We always will need clean water to drink and safe air to breathe. While we have made much progress over the last thirty years, it is critical that we maintain our strong commitment to safeguarding our nation's natural heritage and protecting our environment.

I have always been a strong supporter of environmental protection and have fought for improvements to our major environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, and Superfund. These and other environmental laws have made our waterways safe again, made progress on reducing harmful air pollution, taken species out of danger of extinction, and cleaned up and revitalized previously contaminated sites in our inner cities and rural areas. These landmark environmental laws benefit Nevada tremendously, but there's still much more to do.

Nevada's dramatic landscapes - from the high alpine lakes of the Ruby Mountains to the stark open spaces of the Black Rock Desert to the incredible Joshua tree forests in the Piute Valley - have provided inspiration to generations of Nevadans. But as our population grows, more demands are made of our state's natural resources and treasured public lands. Our challenge is to find a balance between growth and protection so that those who follow us will have the same opportunity to find and experience these incredible places as we have.
Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Communities

Clean Air

I am pleased that while our nation's population has grown, our air, in most instances, has started to get cleaner. This is largely due to the protections of the Clean Air Act that have significantly reduced air pollution from vehicles, power plants, and industrial sources. I am severely disappointed that the Administration has worked overtime to weaken those protections and undermine enforcement efforts. The result has been a serious slowdown in the progress toward cleaner air that meets the nation's scientifically documented public health needs.

I have fought the Administration's effort to dismantle the Clean Air Act's new source review provisions. These provisions embody the common sense notion that as utilities and major energy sources upgrade their plants, they should install the most modern pollution controls available. This is no trivial matter: whether those upgrades are clean or dirty means the difference between a healthy future or chronic disease and death for many Americans.

Clean Water

I have been a strong supporter of the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Acts. These cornerstones of environmental protection have implemented pollution control programs, set water quality standards, and funded sewage treatment plants. Over the last thirty years, these landmark laws have helped make two-thirds of the country's lakes safe again for recreational and commercial uses and provided safer drinking water for communities throughout Nevada and the nation.

To improve upon these successful laws, I introduced the Small Community Drinking Water Funding Act to provide assistance to communities and Indian tribes with small water systems in complying with Federal drinking water standards.

I have also helped provide funding for water system improvements for communities across Nevada. Improving and maintaining the quality of water in Nevada will continue to be one of my highest priorities as Nevada's senior Senator.

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is the jewel of the Sierras. That is why I have been working for many years to restore Lake Tahoe to its fabled clarity. I am proud to have convened the first Lake Tahoe Summit in 1997 to draw national attention to the declining health and clarity of the lake. Then-President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore accepted my invitation to attend the event and helped bring much needed attention to the problems facing the Lake Tahoe Basin. It's hard to believe we just celebrated the ten-year anniversary of the Lake Tahoe Summit. Much has been accomplished in the last ten years.

In 2000, I worked closely with other members of Congress to pass the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, which authorized $300 million over ten years for restoration efforts at the Lake. This funding supports land acquisition, erosion control, forest management, fire suppression, and efforts to improve water quality. I was most recently able to help pass legislation that will provide substantial funding for the removal of hazardous fuels around Lake Tahoe (P.L. 109-432). This is important because the removal of hazardous fuels helps to reduce devastating forest fires that in turn accelerate erosion around the lake and reduce the clarity of Lake Tahoe. I will keep fighting every year to make sure Lake Tahoe gets the federal funding and attention it needs and deserves.

Nevada's Sportsmen

In 2005, I worked closely with members from both parties to pass legislation (S. 339) that reaffirmed each state's right to regulate hunting and fishing. I led this effort because a previous court ruling attempted to undermine the traditional role that states have in regulating its hunting and fishing laws. I respect the authority of states to enact laws to protect their legitimate interests in conserving fish and game, as well as providing opportunities for in-state and out-of-state residents to hunt and fish. This legislation was signed into law in May of 2005, and it will help ensure that Nevada sportsmen continue to enjoy the sporting opportunities that our state offers.

Great Basin National Park

In 1986, I authored the law creating the Great Basin National Park - the first national park in Nevada. The park spans 76,000 acres of eastern Nevada and features dramatic mountain ranges, semi-arid basins, and thousand-year-old bristlecone pine forests. I have also introduced legislation to highlight the area's rich cultural history and stunning landscapes by designating the Great Basin National Heritage Route, including all of White Pine County. This Heritage Route helps bring attention and resources to this special area that contains segments of the historical Pony Express and Overland Trails, as well as impressive archaeological and natural resources. I am also pleased that I was able to secure $3.2 million for the construction of the Great Basin National Park Visitor Learning Center. This facility opened over the Fourth of July weekend in 2005 and now provides a wonderful introduction to one of Nevada's most incredible areas.

In December of 2006, I helped pass the White Pine County Lands bill that transferred approximately 117,000 acres of land surrounding the Great Basin National Park from the Forest Service to the Bureau of Land Management, of which approximately 70,000 will be designated wilderness and roughly 47,000 will be withdrawn from land disposal and mineral laws. These changes are important because they will further protect this beautiful area and ensure popular hunting areas remain open and accessible.

More recently I was able to secure a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study into the adequacy of the current classification of Great Basin National Park as a Class II area under the Clean Air Act. I am confident the study will find that the Park's air classification should be upgraded, ensuring greater protection of air quality and visibility. This is an important step toward ensuring that the Park remains pristine for future generations and creates one more roadblock to those who wish to foul Nevada's air with the construction of dirty coal power plants.

Walker Lake

Over the past century, Walker Lake has lost much of its volume and its water level has fallen by 130 feet. Walker Lake is a desert terminal lake, which means the only outflow of water is from evaporation. As water flow to the lake has steadily declined over a century, the lake's salinity has increased, threatening the survival of the Lahontan cutthroat trout and the tui-chub. In the mid-1990s, I organized a Walker Lake Summit to discuss the alarming changes to the Lake and possible solutions restore it. As a result of the Summit, federal, state, local and tribal governmental officials have worked together to restore Walker River in-stream flows and to bolster Walker Lake and its wildlife. The projects undertaken to date have generated solid research on the River system and the Lake, resulting in progress on joint governmental efforts to increase the trout population at the Lake - all while protecting local agricultural interests.

Since the Summit, I have focused on how to finance and implement the multi-faceted efforts to increase in-stream flow of the Walker Rivers and restore Walker Lake. I secured over $200 million in the 2002 Farm Bill (P.L. 107-171) to fund restoration and preservation efforts at all of Nevada's desert terminal lakes - Pyramid, Summit and Walker Lakes. This program has increased conservation efforts; increased water efficiencies; protected, restored and strengthened fish and wildlife habitats; and fostered research specific to Nevada's terminal lakes and their ecosystems. Many of these efforts and programs have occurred in the Walker River Basin and at Walker Lake.

I have pledged to help preserve Walker Lake. In the 110th Congress, I have worked to reauthorize the Desert Terminal Lakes Program and will continue to secure additional funding for programs that will stabilize the ecology around Walker Lake and combat invasive species, like the tamarisk. Working together, we can and will preserve Walker Lake for future generations.

County Payments

Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act (Secure Rural Schools) are extremely important for rural Nevada. Because more than 87 percent of our state is federally owned, counties aren't able to collect property taxes to pay for vital services, including law enforcement and medical facilities. PILT and Secure Rural Schools funds help Nevada counties compensate for losses to their tax base that result from federal land ownership. During my time in Congress, I have worked hard to increase the amount of funding that Nevada counties receive from these programs.

Most recently, I worked closely with a bipartisan coalition of Western senators to fully fund PILT and reauthorize Secure Rural Schools. I led Senate passage of an emergency spending bill that included $4.7 billion to fully fund the PILT program for the first time since 1994. I also led efforts to revise the distribution formula for Secure Rural Schools funding to deliver over $30 million in new money to Nevada's counties over the next 5 years. Unfortunately, these provisions did not make it into the final emergency spending bill signed by the President. Later in 2007, I and my fellow Western senators tried twice to amend the CLEAN Energy Act to reauthorize Secure Rural Schools through 2011 and to make the PILT program mandatory, rather than discretionary. Although the vote was close, these measures did not pass into law.

Without adequate funding for these programs, crucial services in our small communities are put in jeopardy. I will continue to fight to get this critical funding secured so that rural Nevada gets the necessary funding it deserves.

Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act

The Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act became law in 1998, through my, then-Congressman John Ensign's, and Senator Richard Bryan's joint efforts. The money generated from land sales authorized by this legislation are used for high priority conservation, park, and trail projects, the development of public facilities like the Clark County Shooting Park, and for the protection and acquisition of sensitive lands.

In the past, I have worked collaboratively to defeat attempts from the administration to steal these funds from Nevadans and principally use them to help pay down the federal debt. In May of 2006, I was able to help secure an agreement with the administration in which they agreed to honor the purpose of the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act and discontinue such raids. I was very pleased that we were able to put that battle behind us and I will continue to ensure that the purpose of the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is protected and the Act is fully implemented.

Clark County Public Lands Bill

In 2002, I authored legislation with Senator Ensign to provide a comprehensive public lands management plan for Clark County. This strong bipartisan legislation released wilderness study areas to enhance economic opportunities in Clark County while adding 440,000 acres to the national wilderness system. The measure preserved the beautiful areas that bless southern Nevada by creating the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area and expanding the existing Red Rock National Conservation Area. It also will help ensure a clean future for Clark County by establishing the Southern Nevada Litter Cleanup Campaign.

Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act

Building on the success of Clark County's public lands bill, in 2004 Senator Ensign and I authored a land bill for Lincoln County that improved land management, created more private land, and protected sensitive areas. The Lincoln County Public Lands bill represents the largest wilderness bill in the history of Nevada. This legislation designated over 768,000 acres in new wilderness areas, including over 150,000 acres of the Mormon Mountains. The bill also provides funding for the development and implementation of a multispecies habitat conservation plan for Lincoln County and for the protection of sensitive archaeological sites in the area. In short, this legislation represents a significant step forward in our efforts to protect and preserve our state's rich natural heritage for current and future generations of Nevadans.

White Pine County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act

I worked closely with Senator Ensign and numerous parties throughout the state to develop this legislation that protects 559,000 acres of incredible wilderness lands and provided a timely economic boost to White Pine County. The bill also added important protections to the land surrounding Great Basin National Park, enlarged two state parks and a state wildlife management area, and provided new lands for the future growth of the Ely Shoshone Tribe. BLM lands were made available for the expansion of the Ely airport and industrial park and for future community growth throughout White Pine County. Like previous efforts in Clark and Lincoln Counties, this legislation carefully balanced the needs of growth and development with the protection of Nevada's pristine and wild backcountry areas.

California Trail and Interpretative Center

In 2000, I worked with local leaders in Elko County to pass legislation that aimed to create a first class learning center that chronicled the 19th century overland journey of more than 300,000 settlers into the west. Since 2000, I have appropriated approximately $9 million in federal funding for this important project. When completed, the Center will become an important tourist destination in eastern Nevada and further help to diversify the region's economy. I greatly enjoyed touring the new facility - then still under construction - in August 2007, and I look forward to seeing the facility completed and opened to the public.

Lahontan Cutthroat Trout

The Lahontan Cutthroat Trout is unique to Nevada, and restoring the population along the Truckee and Walker Rivers will increase recreational opportunities, while guaranteeing the future of this important and historic species. In recent years, I have delivered almost $3 million in federal funding to Nevada for the propagation of the Lahontan Cutthroat trout in the Lake Tahoe basin and the Truckee, Carson and Walker River basins.
Fighting Threats

Climate Change

Global warming is one of the greatest challenges of our time. The United States accounts for approximately 4 percent of the world's population, yet it is responsible for approximately 25 percent of the world's global warming pollution. Our government must provide domestic and global leadership on this issue because we have a moral responsibility to leave future generations with a safe and habitable world.

Climate change will have enormous consequences for Nevada, the Great Basin, and all of the southwest. Temperatures in the southwest are currently rising, and it is widely predicted that climate change will decrease precipitation. Drought will make farming and ranching tougher, increase the frequency and acres burned by wildfires, and could drive many plant and animal species to extinction. Some invasive plants, such as cheatgrass, are better suited to hotter climates, and are already replacing native vegetation. These impacts are already creating serious challenges and could become catastrophic in the future if we fail to take action.

I am proud that developed and developing nations of the world came together in Bali in December to adopt the "Roadmap" to guide United Nations global warming negotiations. This consensus could open the door for a future agreement on mandatory global greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The United States Federal government must take a leading role in slowing global warming at home and abroad. I will continue working to ensure that our nation once again provides the world with the leadership it needs to address global warming.

Fighting Invasive Species

From cheatgrass to Mormon crickets and quagga mussels, Nevada faces serious challenges in controlling invasive species. That is why I helped establish the Nevada Arid Rangelands Initiative through the University of Nevada, Reno, and have consistently worked to secure funding to combat Mormon cricket infestations.

I have also introduced legislation to help Nevada and other states resolve invasive species infestations. My 100th Meridian Invasive Species State Revolving Fund would provide low-interest loans for invasive species projects that promote wildfire management, reduce changes to wildlife habitat, and reverse the spread of aquatic invasive species.

Wildfires

Although wildfires play an important role in naturally-functioning rangelands and forests, if they burn out of control, they can devastate our communities, displace livestock grazing and destroy wildlife habitat. Nevada has been particularly hard hit over the last several years. In addition to ensuring our firefighters have the resources they need to battle wildfire, I have secured hundreds of millions of dollars for removing hazardous fuels and eradicating fire-prone invasive species across Nevada through appropriations bills and the special accounts in our Nevada land bills.

In 2007, Senator Ensign and I introduced the Wildfire Presuppression Fuels Management Act of 2007. This bill establishes a USDA conservation program that helps to prevent the occurrence, spread of, and damages caused by wildfire to rangeland. This legislation would allow private land owners to receive annual incentive payments through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Environmental Quality Incentives Program for implementing innovative conservation practices on rangeland that is vulnerable to wildfire or has suffered the consequences of wildfire. This bill will help protect land in the Great Basin from catastrophic fires through incentives and conservation efforts.

Eradicating Mormon Crickets

As someone who grew up in rural Nevada, I am and have been especially committed to improving the quality of life throughout the rural areas of our state. The Mormon cricket infestations that have been experienced throughout Nevada have caused a great deal of hardship to ranchers, farmers, and numerous businesses. In response, I worked hard to secure over $8 million for local officials and volunteers in Nevada to combat the Mormon crickets on both public and private land. This money has given the hard-working people who have been fighting this threat the support they need to protect our communities from future infestations. Most recently, I added additional funds to an appropriations bill to further control the crickets in upcoming years.

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