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   Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, yesterday my colleague from Nevada, Senator Reid, and I introduced the White Pine County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2006. This bill is the product of bipartisan cooperation and it represents a fair compromise on a number of issues relating to the protection of White Pine County's natural resources. While not perfect, this measure strikes an appropriate balance between economic development, privatizing Federal lands, and designating wilderness areas. On whole, the White Pine County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2006 is a good piece of legislation and it should be passed.

   White Pine County, NV, with fewer than 10,000 residents, is in rural eastern Nevada. The county has seen more prosperous times. The closure of mines has been hard on the local economy. Additionally, the Federal Government manages a high percentage of land which makes it difficult to foster growth. The bill seeks modest changes to the land ownership pattern to allow White Pine County to grow and increase its tax base, and gives residents some modest tools they need to prosper. We have also provided the same tools to the Ely Shoshone Tribe. We accomplish these goals through land disposal, natural resource and wildlife conservation, tourism development, additional protection for the wondrous Great Basin National Park, recreation opportunities, Nevada State Parks expansions, wilderness designation, and a study to determine if off highway vehicles should have a designated route through the county.

   The White Pine County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2006 is modeled on an innovative law that I coauthored as a member of the House of Representatives with former Senator Richard Bryan. That measure, the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998, SNPLMA, is widely regarded as a huge success. Two successor laws I wrote with Senator Reid and Congressman Gibbons, the Clark County Protection of Lands and Natural Resources Act of 2002 and the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2004 followed SNPLMA.

   These county bills for Nevada can and should be replicated in every county in Nevada. Many other Western States with large public land holdings may benefit from our Nevada model. The premise is simple: not all land is suitable for public ownership, and other public lands are suitable for increased protection. We settle longstanding wilderness issues by designating permanent wilderness areas and release wilderness study areas to multiple use. Years of disagreements between developers, multiple use advocates, governments, environmentalists, conservationists, and other stakeholders are settled by these land bills. Bringing together people from diverse interests has actually proved to be a very healthy exercise in Nevada; it has fostered a spirit of cooperation that will benefit generations of Nevadans to come.

   The White Pine County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2006 also proposes significant amendments to the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998. In some instances, we revise provisions in current law that need improvement. We add new expenditure categories for

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   For example, an improvement we make to current law relates to local governments in Clark and Lincoln Counties that use parks and trails funds in the SNPLMA special account. The localities are having difficulty building approved parks and trails projects. Local governments have to front their own funds and seek reimbursement from the Bureau of Land Management to build these projects. In some cases, this means millions of dollars that have to be borrowed or taken from other programs. To help local governments speed the development of parks and trails, we propose to pay local governments up front, eliminating a cumbersome reimbursement process. We can still maintain the financial integrity of all expenditures.

   Additionally, we have significantly streamlined the affordable housing provisions in current law. Our revisions will make Federal land available at a discount for workforce housing and improve the lives of hard working families across the state of Nevada.

   For new expenditure categories, we have taken great care to propose using the SNPLMA special account for critical needs, and in particular, for projects and initiatives that have broad support from the environmental and conservation community. We propose a clean water project for Lake Mead in southern Nevada and hazardous fuels reduction programs for two of the most heavily visited and fire prone areas in Nevada: Lake Tahoe and the Spring Mountains. We seek to conserve Colorado River water through the buyback of turf from public entities. Eighty five percent of the special account is now used for environmental and recreational purposes. We do not seek to break from the purposes for which SNPLMA was established in 1998; doing so would be controversial and harm the prospects of the passage of this bill.

   The White Pine County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act is the culmination of 2 years of hard work and spirited debate. Our staffs have worked together closely and have made visits to and held meetings in White Pine County on numerous occasions. We have received thousands of comments and useful suggestions from people across Nevada. This bill touches every corner of our beautiful State, and I am proud to have been part of this endeavor. I look forward to working with my colleagues and interested parties to improve this bill as necessary.

   In summary, under title I, the bill authorizes the disposal of up to 45,000 acres of BLM land in White Pine County. Distributes proceeds through a White Pine special account.

   Under title II, the bill designates roughly 545,000 acres of wilderness in 13 new wilderness areas and adds wilderness to two areas established in 1989. The White Pine County Commission supported

   approximately 500,000 acres. Standard language is included stating primacy of Nevada water laws in wilderness areas. Wildlife water developments are protected in wilderness areas.

   Under title III, the bill transfers approximately 645 acres to the Fish and Wildlife Service to be managed as part of the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge. In lieu of expanding the size of Great Basin National Park and in an effort to simplify land management and protect lands near Great Basin National Park, the bill transfers 117,000 acres from the Forest Service to the BLM. Of this amount, 54,400 acres are withdrawn from mineral entry and other form of entry. Motorized access is confined to existing routes. This withdrawal language does not intend for the withdrawal area to be managed as an NCA, but it will likely require an update of the Resource Management Plan after the transfer of administrative jurisdiction is completed. It is also intended through bill language that the BLM honor existing permits and cooperative agreements approved by the Forest Service.

   Under title IV, the bill conveys Federal lands to expand two existing Nevada State parks: Cave Lake State Park and the Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park. The bill also conveys land to expand the Steptoe Valley Wildlife Management Area. Finally, the bill conveys Federal lands for the expansion of the Ely Airport and industrial park, with certain restrictions.

   Under title V, the bill authorizes a 3-year study for a possible extension of the Silver State Highway Off-Highway Vehicle Trail from Lincoln County through White Pine County. The route may only be designated if the Secretary determines that there would not be significant impacts to natural, or cultural resources, and wildlife. While the bill provides the Secretary with discretion, it is my view that providing a designated route for motorized use can actually preserve resources and wildlife in areas that are not appropriate for motorized use.

   Under title VI, the bill expands the Ely Shoshone Tribal Reservation by 3,500 acres. Extensive negotiations concerning the ownership of land just south of Ely strived to equitably balance the future expansion needs of the city of Ely with the economic development needs of the tribe.

   Under title VII, the bill authorizes funding from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act to be used for the Eastern Nevada Landscape Project. The project will improve landscape restoration projects that reduce the risk of fire, prevent the endangerment of species, and improve watersheds.

   Under title VIII, this title significantly amends the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998, SNPLMA, to improve the effectiveness of the act, while proposing new conservation-oriented expenditure categories from the special account.

   Specifically, for SNPLMA special account expenditure categories, the bill provides new authority for (1) the expansion of the Southern Nevada Water Authority's water saving ``Cash for Grass'' program to public entities for permanent turf removal; (2) the implementation of the Clark County Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Program, as was intended by the authors of SNPLMA; (3) the Clean Water Coalition's Lake Mead and Las Vegas Wash water quality pipeline project; (4) two comprehensive, 10-year hazardous fuels and fire prevention plans for the Spring Mountains and the Lake Tahoe Basin--including adjacent areas in Nevada along the Carson Range; (5) Nevada State Parks in Clark County to access parks and trails funding from the special account; (6) the Bureau of Land Management to clear and protect lands designated for sale in the Las Vegas Valley, alleviating the dumping problem; and (7) a one-time park/trails/natural area nomination in Washoe County--remainder of Ballardini Ranch lands offered by a willing seller.

   For SNPLMA improvements, the bill streamlines the current law's affordable housing provisions that make Federal land available in Nevada at a discount. SNPLMA's current ceiling of serving persons not more than 80 percent of median income has been lifted to 120 percent, and future BLM land auctions of more than 200 acres in the Las Vegas Valley will require housing builders to set aside at least 5 percent of the units for affordable housing as defined by SNPLMA. The bill also speeds the progress of local governments' parks and trails projects by replacing a cumbersome reimbursement system, which constrains the financial ability of local governments to finance projects, with a requirement that local governments be paid up front.

   Under title IX, this title establishes the Great Basin National Heritage Route. The House and Senate have each approved legislation designating this National Heritage Route; however, the bill has not reached the President for final approval. Designation of the Route will ensure the protection of key educational and recreational opportunities in White Pine County and neighboring Millard County, UT.

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