S. 3493: Carson City Public Land Correction Act

This bill would make several changes to federal land management in and around Carson City, Nevada. In simple terms, it would transfer some federal land to Carson City, require the sale of some other federal parcels, and update earlier land-management rules from a prior law.

Land transfers to Carson City

The bill would direct the federal government to give Carson City, at the city’s request and without charging the city, about 1,270 acres of federal land. The city would have to use that land for public purposes, such as recreation and flood mitigation. If the land is no longer used for those purposes, the federal government could take it back.

It would also transfer about 0.5 acres of federal land to Carson City so the city can build a roadway. The city would have to pay the costs tied to these transfers, such as surveys, appraisals, and administrative expenses.

Federal land sales

The bill would require the federal government to sell certain other parcels of land to qualified bidders. Specifically, it would provide for the sale of about 356 acres of federal land. In addition, if Carson City offers to transfer two parcels of city-owned land back to the federal government—about 21 acres and about 24 acres—the Secretary of the Interior would have to accept that offer within one year, and then sell at least part of that land to qualified bidders.

For some of the land involved in these transactions, the bill keeps certain existing rights in place, such as utility easements, drainage easements, access rights, and public rights-of-way.

Road access and public safety requirements

For the roadway-related land transfer, the bill would require Carson City to build a crosswalk across South Curry Street within a set time after the transfer. The purpose is to preserve access to the Carson Ranger District Office of the Forest Service.

Environmental provisions

The bill would require the federal government to disclose known hazardous substances or contamination on the land being conveyed, but it would generally not require the federal government to clean up those conditions or remove improvements before the transfer. It also says the city would not be required by this bill to do those cleanups or removals just because of the transfer.

If hazardous-substance cleanup is needed on land later acquired by the federal government through these transactions, responsibility for those costs would remain with the party responsible under other applicable law.

Use of sale proceeds

Money from the land sales would go into Carson City’s Special Account, which is already used for certain land and conservation-related purposes. The bill would allow those funds to be used, without needing additional congressional approval each time, for things like:

• reimbursing federal and city costs related to preparing the land sales,
• wildlife habitat conservation and restoration, including sage-grouse-related projects,
• hazard reduction and wildfire prevention projects,
• buying environmentally sensitive land,
• wilderness protection and related work,
• capital improvements for Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service facilities in Carson City, and
• educational purposes for the city.

Changes to earlier land-management rules

The bill would also amend provisions of the earlier Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to update how certain Carson City lands may be managed. Among other things, it would clarify that some city-managed lands may be used for undeveloped open space, Carson City Airport-related operations, recreation, or other public purposes. It would also allow Carson City to enter into agreements with third parties for operations and maintenance related to places like the Capitol City Gun Club, Centennial Park, and the Eagle Valley Golf Course, and it would let some profits from for-profit activities be deposited into the relevant account or reinvested in the property.

Relevant Companies

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