There’s an old Washington, DC adage; “Legislation is like sausage, if you want to enjoy it don’t watch it being made.” The adage is especially true during the final days of Congress. This “final days” legislative orgy often loses any real semblance of sanity. Bills are flung into the hopper that are sometimes dangerous indeed.
Now, into this “Final Days Sausage Grinder” Las Vegas Congresswoman Shelly Berkley has tossed a bill that will create a vast and untouchable area (unless you are a really avid hiker) spanning an unimaginable 450,000 acres. All of it includes areas that are dear to the hearts of rural Nevadans who hail from northeastern Clark County.
At the behest of outside environmental groups flying under the “locals” banner, and with the apparent backing of our very own Clark County, Berkley introduced her bill on Friday.
The audacity and arrogance of this action is of amazing proportions. But the bill’s implications point the finger at, not only Berkley, but at other environmentalist friendly members of Nevada’s congressional delegation and at Clark County itself. All of these are apparently willing to sacrifice rural Clark County communities for the growth of Las Vegas.
Berkley stated that this action is necessary because, “Unless more land is set aside in southern Nevada for habitat conservation to protect the desert tortoise and other species, we will not be able to maintain the County’s all important habitat conservation plan.” The Congresswoman then goes on to explain, “This agreement allows homes and businesses to continue being built in the Las Vegas Valley.”
Hallelujah, Amen! Let us all bow before the great god “Growth”. Heaven forbid that Las Vegas should actually develop a real and viable economic and industrial base other than housing, construction and gaming. The environmental burden of these urban pursuits have always been placed on the shoulders of the rurals in Clark County, as is the case here.
But the matter is actually even more of an insult to our communities.
Earlier this summer this editor sat in a meeting convened at the request of senior members of our congressional delegation. Staff and consultants of our delegation were present, as were their experts on public lands issues. I was there as the President of the Moapa Valley Chamber of Commerce, not as newspaper editor, so I honored the request that the meeting be kept off the record. So far as the Progress is concerned it has been kept off the record. It seems now that the meeting should become part of the record.
Invited to the meeting were responsible individuals from our communities including Partners in Conservation (PIC). They came.
The staff and consultants outlined the dilemma relating to many federal lands entanglements in southern Nevada. It was stated that Senator Reid (and presumably others in the delegation) wanted all of these issues dealt with in one omnibus bill and during this congress.
Time was of the essence. Gold Butte was only one of the issues. Assurances were given that there would be opportunity for meaningful input by the local communities. Promises were made that if the local communities didn’t like the direction things were going they would have the option to “pull the plug” on the Gold Butte portion of the process and it could be dealt with at a later time.
Nevertheless, here was an opportunity for the rural communities to participate in a meaningful way “NOW”.
Cautious statements were made by the local people indicating that local communities and groups were willing to do what they could to help make the process work if it met with community expectations. They cautioned that developing agreement among the communities could take time.
There was considerable discussion about the importance of Gold Butte to local families and communities for whom Gold Butte is a family heritage. The importance of local access and historical use of these areas was stressed. In the weeks following the meeting much work was done. Not all of it was successful. Not all local leaders and boards worked as some might have wished, but significant input was developed and provided.
Then communication seemed to stop. Congressman Jon Porter and his staff within whose district this issue resides seemed to be out of the loop. The locals naively believed what they had been told; “You will be guaranteed the opportunity to pull the plug if you don’t like what is happening”.
The treachery wasn’t seen coming. The environmentalist groups went around the local process, went to Washington, met with Berkley (probably after meeting with other senior members of the delegation) and wrote the bill that was introduced last week.
This bill deserves to be put to death quickly!
The public process that Partners in Conservation has begun should be allowed to continue. There is no great urgency about this issue. Yes, the environmentalist and their cronies are impatient, but they always are. The sky won’t fall, despite what they say.
The process of self-government is laborious. It takes time. But progress was being made and agreement, if not consensus, among and within the affected communities was likely.
Then comes this arrogant and ill-advised bill which should die an indecent death in the legislative sausage grinder.
Now, some requests for some very important people:
Senator Harry Reid: it is often said that you control everything done by the Nevada delegation. We are not sure of what your role has been in all of this. We do know that this is an affront to a significant number of your constituents by a Congresswoman who has no business involved outside her congressional district. We call on you to allow “democracy” to work. Let the local process, that has only begun, run its course. Stop this Bill and its pernicious outcome. We believe you have the power to do that and we ask you to do it.
Commissioner Tom Collins: you pride yourself on the many “good things” you deliver to your district. You are very protective of “your district”. We submit that this may be more important than all the “stuff” you have thus far delivered. We call on you to be as protective of Congressman Porter’s district as you are of your own. Your constituents, not Jon Porter, need your influence. If the County is part and parcel of this scheme we call on you speak out now, and loudly. Do all you can to “pull the plug” on this ill-begotten Bill.
Commissioner Bruce Woodbury: you have always been the champion of home rule. We have always been able to depend on your faith in the integrity of local communities, even when others of your colleagues have exhibited no such faith. Now, as at no other time, the concept of home rule within your district is being attacked and undermined. There is a process working. We ask that you exert your influence to let the process work. Stop this bill regardless of how important it may seem to some who are within the halls of the Government Center. It is bad government. It is bad politics.
Congressman Porter, this Act is an insult to you and your constituents. Congressional courtesy of long standing has it that congressional district boundaries are sacrosanct and should not be crossed by other congressmen. You should have been more involved from the beginning but you were not. Where were you when the locals who were working in good faith, needed the weight of your office to secure the integrity of assurances made to local communities? We call on you to exert whatever influence and good will you can muster among your congressional friends and colleagues and stop this travesty.
Clark County, whoever that may include, your hands may be dirtiest of all. If you, in fact encouraged Berkley, through environmentalist surrogates or your own lobbyists directly, to betray a local decision-making process that was ongoing, this was the ultimate betrayal of communities within your jurisdiction.
Now, to all who read this and care about the history and heritage of our community, we encourage you to write, email, phone, or do all of the above today, to all members of our congressional delegation, our two county commissioners and the county manager. The Bill Number is H.R. 7132. Let them know that you strongly oppose it. Click here for contact information.
While it’s not easy to play defense, this assault upon our community must be confronted head-on.
In the immortal words of Todd Beamer, “Let’s roll”.
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!
Comment on this story. Send a letter to the editor by email, click here: EMAIL US
