Bush signs deal to protect land in Nevada

[cat_man]

Bush signs largest designation of Nevada wilderness ever

Scott Sonner THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


RENO, Nev. -- President Bush has signed into law a measure conservationists say is the single largest designation of federally protected wilderness in Nevada history -- a total of about 1,200 square miles north and east of Las Vegas.
The legislation is billed as a compromise between environmentalists who want permanent protection of intact wild lands and developers who want more water for Clark County.
The new law creates 14 new wilderness areas protecting wildlife habitat, rugged mountain peaks, limestone cliffs, fragile caves and archaeological resources across a total of 768,000 acres, an area about half the size of the state of Delaware.
It directs the Bureau of Land Management to auction up to 90,000 acres of federal land in the rural county north of Las Vegas.
It also establishes a utility corridor that would allow the Southern Nevada Water Authority to build a pipeline to tap into groundwater in eastern Nevada and draw as much as 200,000 acre-feet of water per year -- enough for more than half a million households. This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C4.
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[mikecromaine]

IS MAKES ME FEEL ALITTLE BETTER FOR NOW
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[cat_man]

This is a tricky one. It kind of hides the fact that they are now going to allow the BLM to sell land near Las Vegas to developers. This land has been disputed for years, and is the home of several very sensitive species of plants and animals. I remember reading another story on it a few months ago, but I can't remember the details. So, it's sort of a success and at the same time a failure.
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]All deals are compromises but just remember the true definition of a compromise. It's when nobody comes away happy. If you achieve that than it was done right. Just food for thought...[/size][/black][/font]
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[cat_man]

Well put....however I'd like to define a true compromise when everyone comes away happy -- not with EVERYTHING they wanted to have happen, but at least satisfied that it was a fair decision and that their key points were addressed. That's almost the same thing, but much harder to do.
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