Bill > S392

This bill modifies the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area Act by expanding the conservation area's boundary and adding provisions for a water pipeline right-of-way. Specifically, the bill updates the official map of the conservation area and increases its total acreage from 48,438 to 57,728 acres. It grants the Southern Nevada Water Authority a right-of-way for water pipeline infrastructure, allowing them to conduct geotechnical investigations and construct water transmission facilities without paying rent. The bill permits the authority to excavate and use materials from pipeline tunneling, with the understanding that they will work with the Bureau of Land Management to dispose of excavated materials. The right-of-way comes with requirements to protect conservation area resources, ensure construction does not permanently damage surface resources, and prohibit the pipeline from being located in wilderness areas. Additionally, the bill preserves existing utility transmission corridors and rights-of-way, ensuring that the boundary expansion does not interfere with current infrastructure or prevent future utility facility development, subject to environmental review and appropriate terms and conditions set by the Secretary of the Interior.