The bill will ask Congress to open nearly 39,000 acres of federal land for development just outside the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Talks with county officials and private investors have been held behind closed doors for more than a year. Multiple groups of Nevada off road racers and environmentalists were upset because they had not been contacted regarding the land development.

On June 19 the County commissioners will vote on the resolution, which seeks federal legislation that would carve out a large area for development along Interstate 15 south of the valley.

The county’s main interest in the lands bill involves the I-15 corridor south of the valley, where he envisions large-scale commercial manufacturing and distribution facilities.

The proposed legislation would make additional lands available in Clark County for economic development and infrastructure, provide for the conservation of sensitive natural areas and eliminate OHV events in the Jean/Primm area. OHV competitive events such as the Mint 400 bring over a million people a year to Las Vegas, would be severely affected. In the past when the county has transferred public lands those areas then became closed to OHV events. Past examples include the Ivanpah airport, Avi track and Eldorado Valley.

The BLM is threatening to place the Lucy Grey mountains as an ACEC. Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) is a conservation ecology program in the Western United States, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).If an ACEC is obtained for tortoise protection off road racers to would not be able to utilize that area. The historic Mint 400 race, SNORE races and 8 MRAN races will be terminated as well as 5000 miles of recreational trails.

The proposed legislation would push outward the existing disposal boundary, a line established around the valley in 1998 within which federal land can be sold to private developers. The expanded disposal area would allow the Bureau of Land Management to auction off another 38,636 acres for development at the valley’s edges.