To provide for the conveyance of certain public land in Clark County, Nevada, for use as a heliport.
Key claim: The Interior Department would transfer a specified parcel of federal land to Clark County, Nevada, for a commercial heliport, charging a conservation fee and limiting helicopter-tour flight paths over Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, with the land reverting to the United States if it stops being used as a heliport.
Abstract
(HR849 · 109th Congress) (This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Requires the Secretary of the Interior to convey a specified parcel of Federal land to Clark County, Nevada, for operation of a commercial heliport facility. Prohibits the disposal of such conveyed land by the County. Establishes a conservation fee for, and restricts the flight path of, helicopter tours originating from or concluding at the conveyed land which fly over the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area. Requires collected fees to be deposited into a special account in the Treasury for use by the Secretary for cultural, wildlife, and wilderness resources management on public lands in Nevada. Provides that title to the conveyed land shall revert to the United States if the County ceases to use the land for the purpose described in this Act. Makes the County responsible for any reclamation necessary for reversion. Directs the Secretary to require the County to pay the administrative costs of conveying the land. Latest action (2005-05-24): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Why this matters
Federal land conveyances for aviation infrastructure are one of the few mechanisms that can site a new commercial heliport, and the attached conditions — conservation fees, flight-path limits over Sloan Canyon, and a reversion clause — set the practical terms for how helicopter tour traffic interacts with nearby protected lands. The bill is a narrow, local action but illustrates the pattern Congress uses to trade federal parcels for local aviation use while attempting to bound environmental and noise impacts.