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Environmental policy in Nevada

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Environmental policy in Nevada
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Endangered species in Nevada


Environmental policy aims to conserve natural resources by balancing environmental protection with economic growth, property rights, public health, and energy production. Federal, state, and local government entities develop and implement environmental policies through laws and regulations. This page features information about environmental policy in Nevada.

Environmental governance in Nevada

  • The Nevada legislature has both a House and Senate standing committee on Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Mining. The committee manages bills relating to natural resources, agricultural and environmental policy.[1]
  • The Department of Conservation & Natural Resources implements state and federal environmental laws. The office includes divisions that oversee environmental protection, forestry, state parks and lands, and water resources.[2]
  • The Division of Environmental Protection is found within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The division is involved with environment and health issues, including air quality, surface and drinking water quality, waste management, mining, oversight of federal facilities within the state, and contaminated sites.[3]
  • The Division of Water Resources is found within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The division manages water resources, water rights, water availability and the construction/operation of dams.[4]
  • The Bureau of Water Pollution Control within the Division of Environmental Protection was created "to protect the waters of the State from the discharge of pollutants." The bureau regulates discharges into Nevada's waters through its permit programs and enforces water pollution control standards.[5]
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Environmental budget

See also: Environmental spending in the 50 states

The table below features annual budget information for the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources from 2011 to 2022:

Environmental and natural resources budget in Nevada, 2011-2022
Fiscal year Total spending
2022 $145,016,703
2021 $148,651,472
2020 $143,082,519
2019 $141,638,933
2018 $131,529,433
2017 $135,347,929
2016 $128,966,017
2015 $126,482,492
2014 $111,813,726
2013 $108,179,079
2012 $110,190,488
2011 $109,356,174
Source: Nevada State Legislature - Fiscal Analysis Division

Air

Clean Air Act

See also: Implementation of the Clean Air Act

The Clean Air Act is a federal law aimed at maintaining air quality and reducing air pollution. The law requires states and private industries to meet national air pollution standards. Each state must implement an EPA-approved plan to reduce air pollutants from industrial facilities such as chemical plants and utilities. Over 47,000 facilities nationwide were regulated under the Clean Air Act as of February 2023.[6][7][8][9]

The table below features information about the number of regulated facilities under the Clean Air Act in Nevada from 2014 to 2023:

Regulated facilities under the Clean Air Act in Nevada, 2014-2023
Year Number of EPA-regulated facilities Number of state-regulated facilities Number of local-regulated facilities Total regulated facilities
2023 6 93 52 151
2022 8 93 52 153
2021 6 93 50 149
2020 8 94 50 152
2019 10 94 50 154
2018 6 93 49 148
2017 6 90 48 144
2016 6 89 47 142
2015 6 90 44 140
2014 7 87 44 138
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "EPA/State Air Dashboard"

Mercury and air toxics standards

See also: Mercury and air toxics standards

Citing its authority under the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2011 issued a rule (commonly known as the MATS rule) limiting the amount of mercury and other toxic air pollutants emitted by power plants. Mercury and air toxics standards (MATS) target mercury and other hazardous pollutants from over 580 coal and oil-fired power plants nationwide. The MATS rule was issued by the Obama administration as part of its larger policy limiting emissions from coal-fired power plants.[10]

The EPA later reconsidered the MATS rule and, in 2020, determined "that it is not 'appropriate and necessary' to regulate electric utility steam generating units under section 112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA)."[11]

A 2021 proposed rulemaking from the EPA seeks to revoke the 2020 action and reinstate the MATS rule.[12]

During the period that the MATS rule was in effect, Nevada had six power plants subject to the mercury standards.[13]

Ozone standards

See also: Ground-level ozone standards

Federal ozone standards establish the acceptable amount of ground level ozone, commonly known as smog, which is formed when nitrogen oxide combines with other organic chemicals in the atmosphere. Automobiles, power plants, factories and manufacturing centers emit the nitrogen oxide necessary for ozone formation. In high concentrations, ozone is harmful to human health.[14][15]

EPA in 2015 lowered the acceptable amount of ground-level ozone (smog) in the air. The standards went into effect in 2025. States would have between the years 2020 and 2037 to create and establish a plan to meet the standards, depending how much ozone forms in certain areas of a state.[16][17]

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Clean Power Plan

See also: Clean Power Plan and climate change

The EPA in 2015 finalized a regulatory action known as the Clean Power Plan aimed at mitigating what the agency views as potentially human-caused climate change. The plan aims to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants (fossil fuel-fired) and natural gas-fired power plants by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. Each state would have to meet goals based on the number of fossil fuel- and natural gas-fired plants in the state.[18][19][20]

After several states challenged the plan in court, arguing in part that the plan exceeded the EPA's statutory authority, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit delayed the rule's implementation in June 2016. The Trump administration later moved to replace the Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy rule. The D.C. Circuit vacated the Trump-era rule in January 2021, "giving the incoming Biden administration a clean slate for" drafting a new rule, according to Bloomberg.[21][22]

Carbon dioxide emissions

The following table provides information about annual carbon dioxide emissions in Nevada from 2010 to 2020:[23]

Carbon dioxide emissions in Nevada, 2010-2020 (in million metric tons of energy-related carbon dioxide)
Year Total carbon dioxide emissions
2020 36.2
2019 41.7
2018 41.4
2017 40.2
2016 40.0
2015 38.5
2014 40.6
2013 39.7
2012 37.9
2011 37.9
2010 41.4
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

Land

Federal land policy

See also: Federal land policy

Federal land policy involves the conservation and management of natural resources on land owned by the federal government. Most federal land policies focus on conservation, recreation, oil and natural gas extraction, wildlife and forest management, and grazing.

The federal government as of 2018 owned around 640 million total acres of land (about 28 percent) of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. Four federal agencies (the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the National Park Service (NPS), the Forest Service (FS) oversee public lands for conservation, recreation, wildlife protection, grazing, energy production, and other purposes. The Department of Defense also oversees federal lands used for military, training, and related purposes. The majority of federal land is located in Alaska and 11 coterminous Western states[24]

Federal land ownership

See also: Federal land ownership by state

The table below features information about changes in federal land ownership in Nevada from 1990 to 2018:[24]

Change in federal land ownership in Nevada, 1990-2018
Year Total federal land (in acres) Percentage of state land owned by the federal government
2018 56,262,610 80.1%
2010 56,961,778 81.1%
2000 60,180,297 85.6%
1990 60,012,488 85.4%
Source: Congressional Research Service

Federal land management by agency

The following table features information about federal land management in Nevada by federal agency in 2018:[24]

Federal agency land management in Nevada, 2018
Agency Total federal land in state managed by agency (in acres) Percentage of total federal land in state
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 47,298,840 84.1%
Forest Service (FS) 5,760,954 10.2%
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) 2,345,102 4.2%
National Park Service (NPS) 797,613 1.4%
Department of Defense (DoD) 60,101 0.1%
Source: Congressional Research Service

National parks

The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) as of February 2023 oversaw what the agency describes as 424 units (often referred to as parks) and more than 150 related areas within the National Park System. The agency assists in managing national historic areas, wild and scenic rivers, historic landmarks, and national trails. The National Park System contained more than 85 million acres as of February 2023, including national parks, historical parks and sites, national monuments, battlefields and military parks, recreation areas, seashores, and parkways. More than 297 million visitors attended sites in the National Park System in 2021. NPS employed around 20,000 permanent, temporary, and seasonal employees as of February 2023.[25][26][27]

NPS operated four national parks in Nevada as of February 2023.[28]

The following table features visitation statistics for national parks in Nevada from 2017 to 2021.[29]

National Park Service visitation in Nevada, 2017-2021
Year Total recreation visits
2021 5,880,514
2020 6,143,460
2019 5,756,090
2018 5,837,312
2017 6,079,783
Source: U.S. National Park Service

Payments in lieu of taxes

See also: Payments in lieu of taxes

The U.S. Department of the Interior pays local governments each year to offset what they lose in property taxes due to non-taxable federal land within their borders, commonly known as payments in lieu of taxes (PILT). PILT payments go toward fire and police departments, public schools, road construction, and other local services. PILT amounts are based on population and the amount of federal land in a county. From 1977 (when PILT payments began) to 2022, the Interior Department paid out around $10.8 billion to states, territories, and Washington, D.C. PILT payments can be used for any governmental purpose.[30][31]

The following table features information about payments in lieu of taxes received by local governments in Nevada from 2017 to 2021.[32]

Total payments in lieu of taxes, Nevada, 2017-2021
Year Total payments in lieu of taxes
2022 $26,987,166
2021 $27,250,038
2020 $27,868,890
2019 $28,450,646
2018 $29,146,696
Source: U.S. National Park Service

Oil and natural gas activity

See also: Oil and natural gas extraction on federal land and BLM oil and gas leases by state

The federal government leases its land to private individuals and companies for energy development, including drilling for crude oil and natural gas, solar energy, and geothermal energy. Oil and natural gas drilling on federal lands in the United States is primarily overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Private oil and natural gas companies apply for leases from the BLM to produce energy on federal land. About 26 million acres of federal land—12.8 million of which produced oil and gas in economic quantities—were leased to about 24,000 oil and gas developers operating 96,000 wells at the end of fiscal year 2018.[33]

The following table features information about oil and natural gas activity on federal land in Nevada from 2017 to 2021:[34][35]

Oil and natural gas activity on federal land in Nevada, 2017-2021
Year Oil production (in thousands of barrels) Natural gas production (in million cubic feet) Total leases in state Total leased acres in state
2021 222,579 4,344 413 741,895
2020 220,966 9,231 482 872,234
2019 264,989 3,829 518 934,970
2018 252,253 1,666 498 881,252
2017 281,608 1,773 426 715,441
Source: U.S. National Park Service

Water

Clean Water Act

See also: Implementation of the Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act is a federal law regulating pollutants discharged into all waters of the United States, including lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. The federal government approves water quality and technology standards for major sources of water pollution, such as chemical plants, steel manufacturers, municipal facilities, and others. Each state must establish water quality standards for all bodies of water within its boundaries.[36]

Under the Clean Water Act, it is unlawful to discharge any pollutant from any source into navigable waters without a federal permit. The permit specifies what limitations or conditions apply to a facility before the facility may discharge any pollutants. Federal permits may contain facility-specific requirements and limitations depending on the water source.[37]

The following table provides information about the number of Nevada facilities subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act from 2014 to 2023:[38]

Clean Water Act permits, Nevada, 2014-2023
Year Number of facilities
2023 5,099
2022 5,099
2021 5,089
2020 5,062
2019 4,833
2018 3,827
2017 3,290
2016 2,669
2015 2,033
2014 887
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "National Water Activity Dashboard"

Waste

Superfund sites and hazardous waste facilities

See also: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act

Superfund is a federal program that addresses contaminated waste sites and their return to practical use. Superfund sites include oil refineries, smelting facilities, mines and other industrial areas. The federal government can compel the private entities responsible for a waste site to clean the site or face penalties. If the federal government cleans a waste site, it can compel the responsible company to reimburse the government for cleanup costs. Because Superfund sites are added and removed from a prioritized list on a regular basis, the total number of Superfund sites since the program's inception in 1980 is unknown.[39][40][41]

The federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act covers hazardous wastes, including their generation, treatment, storage and disposal. States may regulate hazardous wastes rather than the federal government. The EPA is responsible for all hazardous waste requirements if no state program exists. Hazardous waste regulations cover waste generators, transporters, treatment centers, storage and disposal facilities.[42]

Nevada had one Superfund site and 2,382 regulated hazardous waste facilities as of February 2023.[43][44]

Endangered species

Endangered Species Act

See also: Endangered species in Nevada

The Endangered Species Act is a federal law that mandates the listing and conservation of endangered and threatened species. The legislation aims to prevent the extinction of vulnerable species throughout the United States and to recover a species' population to the point where listing the species as endangered or threatened is no longer necessary. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for the law's implementation.[15][45]

Nevada had 48 federally listed endangered or threatened plant or animal species as of February 2023. To view the full list, click here.[46]

Environmental ballot measures in Nevada

The following list features historical information about ballot measures relating to environmental issues in Nevada.

Natural resources

Ballotpedia staff have tracked no ballot measures relating to natural resources in Nevada

Environment

Water

Ballotpedia staff have tracked no ballot measures relating to water in Nevada

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Recent environmental legislation in Nevada

The following list features information about environmental bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Nevada State Legislature in the last five years. To learn more about these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Nevada State Assembly, "Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Mining Committee," accessed September 29, 2014
  2. ↑ Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, "About," accessed September 29, 2014
  3. ↑ Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, "Strategic Plan 2011-13," accessed September 29, 2014
  4. ↑ Nevada Division of Water Resources, "Home," accessed September 29, 2014
  5. ↑ Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, "Home of Bureau of Water Pollution Control (BWPC)," accessed October 1, 2014
  6. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Clean Air Act Requirements and History," accessed August 7, 2014
  7. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Understanding the Clean Air Act," accessed August 7, 2014
  8. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "History of the Clean Air Act," accessed August 7, 2014
  9. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Analyze Trends: EPA/State Air Dashboard," accessed February 9, 2023
  10. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Basic Information on Mercury and Air Toxics Standards," accessed January 5, 2015
  11. ↑ EPA, "Final Revised Supplemental Finding and Results of the Residual Risk and Technology Review," accessed February 2, 2023
  12. ↑ EPA, "Proposed Revocation of the 2020 Reconsideration and Affirmation of the Appropriate and Necessary Supplemental Finding," accessed February 2, 2023
  13. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Power Plants Likely Covered by the Toxics Rule," accessed January 19, 2016
  14. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Ground Level Ozone: Regulatory Actions," accessed February 2, 2016
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Overview of EPA's Proposal to Update the Air Quality Standards for Ground-Level Ozone," November 25, 2014 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "overview" defined multiple times with different content
  16. ↑ Washington Examiner, "EPA tries to appease green groups mad about ozone rules," October 1, 2015
  17. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Ground Level Ozone by the numbers," accessed February 2, 2016
  18. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Overview of the Clean Power Plan," accessed November 3, 2015
  19. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Clean Power Plan Toolbox for States," accessed November 3, 2015
  20. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Clean Power Plan - Rule Summary," August 3, 2015
  21. ↑ The Hill, "Supreme Court climate fight shakes up Senate races," February 10, 2016
  22. ↑ Bloomberg, "EPA’s Industry-Friendly Climate Rule Struck Down by Court (3)," January 19, 2021
  23. ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Energy-Related CO2 Emission Data Tables," accessed February 3, 2023
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data," December 29, 2014
  25. ↑ U.S. National Park Service, "About Us," accessed February 7, 2023
  26. ↑ National Park Service, "Visitation Numbers," accessed February 7, 2023
  27. ↑ National Park Service, "Organizational Structure of the National Park Service," accessed February 7, 2023
  28. ↑ National Park Service, "Nevada," accessed February 7, 2023
  29. ↑ U.S. National Park Service, "Visitation By State and By Park (2017 - Last Calendar Year)," accessed February 7, 2023
  30. ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "Payment in Lieu of Taxes," accessed February 1, 2023
  31. ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed February 8, 2016
  32. ↑ U.S. National Park Service, "Payment in Lieu of Taxes," accessed February 7, 2023
  33. ↑ Bureau of Land Management, "About the BLM Oil and Gas Program," accessed February 7, 2023
  34. ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "Natural Resources Revenue Data," accessed February 7, 2023
  35. ↑ Bureau of Land Management, "Oil and Gas Statistics," accessed February 7, 2023
  36. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Summary of the Clean Water Act,” accessed January 29, 2014
  37. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "NPDES Home," accessed September 23, 2014
  38. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Analyze Trends: EPA/State Wastewater Dashboard," accessed February 9, 2023
  39. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Superfund Glossary, S," accessed December 1, 2014
  40. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Superfund Glossary, N," accessed November 25, 2014
  41. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Introduction to the Hazard Ranking System (HRS)," accessed February 17, 2015
  42. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)," accessed August 11, 2014
  43. ↑ Environmental Protection Agency, "National Priorities List (NPL) Sites - by State," accessed February 9, 2023
  44. ↑ Environmental Protection Agency, "Analyze Trends: EPA/State Hazardous Waste Dashboard," accessed February 9, 2023
  45. ↑ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "ESA Overview," accessed October 1, 2014
  46. ↑ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Listed species believed to or known to occur in each State," accessed February 9, 2023
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