The two candidates running for Congressional District 2 in Northern Nevada are clashing over how to manage public lands.
Reno Public Radio’s Noah Glick reports.
Republican Mark Amodei and Democratic challenger Chip Evans are facing off for a chance to represent Northern Nevada in the U.S. House of Representatives.
One important issue facing Nevada's 2nd Congressional District is who should be in charge of its public lands.
“There’s a movement that Mr. Amodei’s been a part of in Congress to take federal lands, and turn them into state lands and sell them off. I’m absolutely opposed to that.”
That’s Chip Evans speaking during a recent debate on KRNV’s Nevada Newsmakers.
Incumbent Mark Amodei introduced a bill last spring that would turn over certain federal lands for state control, in order to support activities such as education and social services.
The bill has been stuck in committee since last year. But, as Amodei told moderator Sam Shad…
“If it was the law today, Sam, 75 percent of the state would still be federally owned,” Amodei said. “Seven million of the 17 million acres of it, is land that’s already been proposed for disposal by those federal land use agencies.”
Amodei also sponsored legislation to hand over more than 71,000 acres of federal land to six Nevada native tribes. That bill was signed into law last week by President Barack Obama.
