Balancing the Budget:Maybe Sell public lands

[Nemont]

I was reading this the other day. If you think this through it could have an impact on what USO is trying to do. Federal lands are sold in Nevada and that money is supposed to stay in Nevada, even though the lands were held in trust by all American. Now Washington wants it's pound of flesh. Sort of the same arguement ole George is making.

March 12, 2005

Plan would ship 35 percent of Nevada land sales to U.S. Treasury

ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A new claim is being staked to the windfall profits generated by public land sales in Clark County.

A proposal circulating among a group of House lawmakers recommends Congress redistribute revenue from southern Nevada land sales, which have been at the center of a political battle in recent weeks.

The new plan being considered by the House Resources Committee would allocate 35 percent of revenues for the U.S. Treasury, 30 percent to Nevada for educational purposes, 25 percent to the federal Bureau of Land Management and 10 percent to the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Saturday.

"The committee is looking at adjusting the numbers, but at this point in time we haven't come up with what's going to go where," said committee spokesman Matthew Streit.

The money in question is a rapidly growing fund established under the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998, which directs the BLM to sell excess federal property in Clark County and keep the profits in the state.

The sales have generated $2.2 billion since Nov. 1999, according to BLM figures. Bush officials say the profits have outstripped Nevada's needs and should be shared by the nation's taxpayers.

In February, the Bush administration proposed Congress amend the law to take 70 percent of the money for U.S. Treasury. This week, House and Senate budget committees rejected the Bush plan due in large part to Nevada lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, who were adamant about blocking the Bush plan.

On Friday, Rep. Gibbons said he would oppose any plan that would send land profits outside Nevada.

"Those dollars were raised in Nevada and should remain in Nevada," Gibbons said in a statement.

Current law sets aside 85 percent of land sale profits for conservation and recreation projects within Nevada, 5 percent for the state education fund, and 10 percent for the Southern Nevada Water Authority

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