CHRISTINA EICHELKRAUT / PVT Mary Ellen Giampaoli outlines for the Pahrump Town Board the proposed Public Lands Act for Nye County, or PLANC. Advertisement

The Pahrump Town Board was given a presentation on the proposed Public Lands Act for Nye County (PLANC) at its regularly scheduled meeting June 26.

Mary Ellen Giampaoli, environmental compliance specialist, explained the basics of the proposed congressional legislation.

First proposed in 2003, it is a kind of wish list of land the county would like to acquire from the Bureau of Land Management for municipal as well as recreational needs.

Once completed, the bill will be submitted to Congress by the Nye County Board of Commissioners.

Because the over-arching goal is to address the county's land needs over the next 25 years, while keeping the future growth of communities in mind, the list of objectives the legislation aims to achieve is long.

The county was essentially asked to establish land needs that would sustain community growth and encompass flood control and diversion structures, wastewater treatment facilities, water supply, storage and distribution, solid waste management and material recovery facilities, as well as parks and recreation and municipal facilities.

Giampaoli emphasized the need for public input.

"We've been asked to look at everything," Giampaoli explained. "And we're sure we haven't thought of everything, so we're going to ask the communities to provide us with some input on what we may have forgotten."

She pointed out that so far, Pahrump has already passed two resolutions requesting that land marked for the future Pahrump Valley Airport and the expansion of Chief Tecopa Cemetery be included in the bill.

Other information that is being solicited from county residents for the bill include informing the Public Lands Working Group of specific parcels of BLM or United States Forest Service land the community would like to acquire, or conversely, informing the group about land that is currently slated for disposal that the community would like to keep.

The information needed from a community or resident on specific land includes the parcel or parcels of interest, the estimated acreage, approximate legal description (or provide a map), as well as the desired use of the land (for example, whether you want it for disposal or right-of-way).

Once that information is gathered, a resolution by the town board must be prepared and, if passed, will be submitted to the county commissioners to formalize the request.

In addition, the legislation aims to address the issue of lands that are currently in trespass which the community would like a clear title to.

Giampaoli also stressed that Native American interests would also be considered in developing the legislation, including plans to conduct a public interest outreach with various tribes.

Special interest groups, such as farmers and miners, will also be asked for their input.

Once the main framework is established and communities have all contributed what their special land needs are, Congressional representatives will be asked to develop and introduce the legislation to submit to Congress for consideration.

Giampaoli emphasized that as of yet, the process was still in beginning phases.

"What we're trying to do is ensure that we're meeting everyone's needs," Giampaoli said. "We're going to come back around again, probably in a year, and ask one more time, is this it? Have we covered it all?"

However, Giampaoli reminded those in attendance at the meeting that just because something was on the list, didn't mean it would make the final legislative cut.

"When we pass it off to our representatives, at that point they're the ones who will decide what will go into it," Giampaoli reminded the audience. "We can ask for something, but that doesn't mean we'll get it. There's no guarantees in this process."

For more information about the land act, contact Commissioner Joni Eastley via e-mail at castle@Inett.com or Giampaoli at megreg1159@aol.com or by calling (702) 875-4594.