Bill includes amendment opposing waste dump in Humboldt County

October 29, 2009

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid today hailed the passage of the Interior Appropriations bill that will bring more than $22 million for job-creating projects across Nevada. The bill also includes a Continuing Resolution for several government agencies who have not had their annual appropriations bill enacted into law.  This short term extension through December 18, will allow Congress to complete work on the bills and ensure that these government agencies can continue their work.

The bill features numerous construction projects, including $2 million for the California Trail Interpretive Center in Elko and $200,000 for restoration of the historic Lincoln County Courthouse.

The final bill also includes Senator Reid’s amendment that will help stop San Francisco from dumping their waste in Humboldt County. The proposed dump would be a dangerous environmental and public health hazard that could threaten Northern Nevada’s water supply.
                                             
“This is a good bill for Nevada because it’s full of job-creating construction projects,” Reid said. “Every pipe that needs to be replaced means jobs, every roof that needs to be restored creates jobs, and every trail that needs to be realigned means jobs. I’m please that this bill will soon be law and Nevadans can take advantage of this money to get back to work.”
 
A breakdown of the projects is as follows:

Project: Displays for the California Trail Interpretive Center
Recipient:  California Trail Interpretive Center
Location: Elko, NV
Amount: $2,000,000
Description: Numerous private donors, the City and the County of Elko, and the State of Nevada partnered with Senator Reid to make the California Trail Center possible. Senator Reid wrote and passed the legislation authorizing this facility and has already appropriated $10 million in federal funds for the project in recent years. The Trail Center is poised to become a major western cultural and educational attraction. These additional federal funds will allow for completion of interpretive exhibits at the Trail Center.  This completes the full $12 million commitment of federal funding made in the California Trail Interpretive Act (Public Law 106-577).

Project: Trail Improvements on the Tahoe Rim Trail
Recipient: Tahoe Rim Trail Association
Location: Lake Tahoe Basin
Amount: $100,000
Description: The Tahoe Rim Trail attracts users from around the world, providing unmatched recreation opportunities. While the Forest Service oversees the trail, most of the work to build and maintain it is carried out by thousands of volunteers supported by the Tahoe Rim Trail Association. The trail has several sections in need of realignment and/or reconstruction.
Project: Lake Tahoe Quagga Mussel Prevention
Recipient:  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Location: Lake Tahoe Basin
Amount: $2,000,000
Description: The introduction of quagga mussels to the Lake Tahoe region would have a devastating impact to the regional economy, including effects on recreation, tourism, property values, and infrastructure.  The Fish and Wildlife Service in coordination with local, state, and federal entities will work to establish watercraft inspection and decontamination stations away from the lakeside to help prevent the introduction of these invasive species into Lake Tahoe. 

Project: Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Restoration
Recipient: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Location: Reno, NV
Amount: $350,000
Description: The famed Lahontan cutthroat trout fishery of the Lake Tahoe, Pyramid Lake, and Walker Lake systems is an icon of western Nevada's history. These fish are known to grow to over 40 pounds. The Fish and Wildlife Service, States of Nevada and California, University of Nevada, Forest Service, several Tribes, and local communities have undertaken a long-term cooperative effort to restore key populations of this native species. Further federal funding will allow continued implementation of this important recovery effort. Senator Reid has been a consistent champion for anglers and hunters in Nevada through his support for the 2nd Amendment and by funding important wildlife efforts.

Project: Redband Trout and Salmon Habitat Assessment and Restoration
Recipient: Trout Unlimited
Location: Northeastern Nevada
Amount: $300,000
Description: The Owyhee River and Bruneau/Jarbidge River drainages hold some of the best of the dwindling habitat for the desert redband trout and, as tributaries to the upper Snake River, historically hosted substantial Chinook salmon and steelhead fisheries. Trout Unlimited will work with the Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service to identify those reaches with the best remaining habitat and best potential for restoration. Restoration efforts will also be initiated in cooperation with local partners.

Project: Nye County Mineral Assessment
Recipient:  University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Amount: $650,000
Description: The University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the USGS; and the state of Nevada will work together to complete the second phase of a study on the geology and mineral resources of northern Nye County.

Project: Historic Lincoln County Courthouse Restoration
Recipient: Lincoln County, Nevada
Location: Pioche, NV
Amount: $200,000
Description: The original Lincoln County Courthouse was commissioned in Pioche, Nevada, in 1871, and was a major part of the colorful silver-boom history of the area. This landmark was abandoned in the late 1930's, and later partially restored by the State of Nevada. These funds will be used to stabilize the structure's roof and exterior walls to allow for the courthouse's long-term restoration as an historical landmark.

Project: Water Guzzlers for Large Game
Recipient: Nevada Bighorns Unlimited
Location: Reno, NV
Amount: $150,000
Description: With the assistance of Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, populations of Desert, Rocky Mountain and California bighorn sheep have been restored to their former habitat in over 50 mountain ranges in Nevada. However, the springs and seeps that these animals have historically relied upon for water are dwindling due to climate change, Nevada's prolonged drought and increased demands on the state's water resources. Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, along with other partners, will construct a series of large game water collection and access features on public land in Nevada to continue to support Nevada's wildlife populations.

Project: Marlette-Hobart Water System Overhaul
Recipient: City of Carson City, Nevada
Location: Carson City, NV
Amount: $350,000
Description: The Marlette-Hobart water supply system delivers water to Carson City, and has served as the sole water supply for Virginia City since the 1870's. The extreme age of the system has caused it to become unreliable, and components of the system are in urgent need of replacement. This federal funding will help with the acquisition of a new pump and upgraded water lines to improve the system’s reliability.

Project: Water Infrastructure Restoration
Recipient: Las Vegas Paiute Tribe
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Amount: $550,000
Description: The Las Vegas Paiute Tribe's decades-old water delivery infrastructure needs to be replaced to provide for the added capacity needed for commercial and residential development expected over the next few years. Federal funds will be matched with tribal funds to replace pumps and water lines and make the Tribe's water supply more efficient.

Project: Fire Trucks for the City of Reno
Recipient: City of Reno, Nevada
Location: Reno, NV
Amount: $250,000
Description: The Reno area is surrounded by federal lands and each year the wildland-urban interface grows as the community expands. Purchase of additional firefighting equipment to control the risk of wildfire reaching and damaging communities will help the city expand its fire suppression activities throughout the Truckee Meadows area.

Project: Tertiary Effluent Polishing and Pipeline Construction
Recipient: City of Boulder City, Nevada
Location: Boulder City, NV
Amount: $290,000
Description: A solar energy development site has been proposed near Boulder City, Nevada. The City plans to construct improvements to its wastewater treatment plant and construct a pipeline for treated water to be used in utility-scale solar power production. This funding will expedite construction of at least one solar project currently being planned, and encourage additional projects that conserve our precious water resources.

Project: EPA Las Vegas Facilities Consolidation Study
Recipient: Environmental Protection Agency
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Amount: $500,000
Description: This funding will begin planning for the development and construction of a centralized, state-of-the-art office and laboratory facility for the EPA, to be located in southern Nevada.

Project: Water Quality and Delivery Research
Recipient: Water Research Foundation
Location: Throughout the Western United States
Amount $1,700,000
Description:  The Water Research Foundation sponsors research projects that enable utilities to provide safe, affordable, and sustainable water to their customers.  Research focuses on addressing pressing challenges such as climate change impacts on water supply, pharmaceutical contaminants in drinking water, aging infrastructure, and protection of watersheds.

Project: Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley Water Settlement
Recipient: Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley
Location: Duck Valley, NV
Amount: $12,000,000
Description: The Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley Reservation Water Settlements Act ratified a water rights settlement agreement between the tribal government, the State of Nevada, and individual water rights holders along the East Fork of the Owyhee River. The Act also settled the Tribes' claims against the United States for failing to protect its water rights and natural resources. This funding is the first payment to the Tribes’ development and maintenance funds as required under the settlement agreement and by federal law.

Project: City of Fernley Water Treatment Plant
Recipient: City of Fernley, Nevada
Location: Fernley, NV
Amount: $300,000
Description: The City of Fernley is currently in the process of constructing a new water treatment plant. This federal funding will directly benefit ratepayers by providing federal support for needed system upgrades and reducing the cost of annual maintenance.