1.
Conveyance of property to clark County, Nevada
(a)
Congress finds that—
(1)
the Las Vegas Valley in the
State of Nevada is the fastest growing community in the United States;
(2)
helicopter tour operations
are conflicting with the needs of long-established residential communities in
the Valley; and
(3)
the designation of a public
heliport in the Valley that would reduce conflicts between helicopter tour
operators and residential communities is in the public interest.
(b)
The purpose of this Act is to
provide a suitable location for the establishment of a commercial service
heliport facility to serve the Las Vegas Valley in the State of Nevada while
minimizing and mitigating the impact of air tours on the Sloan Canyon National
Conservation Area and North McCullough Mountains Wilderness.
(c)
In this Act:
(1)
The term Conservation
Area means the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area established by
section 604(a) of the Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural
Resources Act of 2002 (116 Stat. 2010).
(2)
The term County
means Clark County, Nevada.
(3)
(A)
The term helicopter
tour means a commercial helicopter tour operated for profit.
(B)
The term helicopter
tour does not include a helicopter tour that is carried out to assist a
Federal, State, or local agency.
(4)
The term
Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
(5)
The term
Wilderness means the North McCullough Mountains Wilderness
established by section 202(a)(13) of the Clark County Conservation of Public
Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002 (116 Stat.
2000).
(d)
As soon as practicable after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall convey to the County,
subject to valid existing rights, for no consideration, all right, title, and
interest of the United States in and to the parcel of land described in
subsection (e).
(e)
The parcel of land to be
conveyed under subsection (d) is the parcel of approximately 229 acres of land
depicted as tract A on the map entitled Clark County Public Heliport
Facility
and dated May 3, 2004.
(f)
(1)
The parcel of land conveyed
under subsection (d)—
(A)
shall be used by the County
for the operation of a heliport facility under the conditions stated in
paragraphs (2) and (3); and
(B)
shall not be disposed of by
the County.
(2)
(A)
Any operator of a helicopter
tour originating from or concluding at the parcel of land described in
subsection (e) shall pay to the Clark County Department of Aviation a $3
conservation fee for each passenger on the helicopter tour if any portion of
the helicopter tour occurs over the Conservation Area.
(B)
Any amounts collected under
subparagraph (A) shall be deposited in a special account in the Treasury of the
United States, which shall be available to the Secretary, without further
appropriation, for the management of cultural, wildlife, and wilderness
resources on public land in the State of Nevada.
(3)
Except for safety reasons,
any helicopter tour originating or concluding at the parcel of land described
in subsection (e) that flies over the Conservation Area shall not fly—
(A)
over any area in the
Conservation Area except the area that is between 3 and 5 miles north of the
latitude of the southernmost boundary of the Conservation Area;
(B)
lower than 1,000 feet over
the eastern segments of the boundary of the Conservation Area; or
(C)
lower than 500 feet over the
western segments of the boundary of the Conservation Area.
(4)
If the County ceases to use
any of the land described in subsection (d) for the purpose described in
paragraph (1)(A) and under the conditions stated in paragraphs (2) and
(3)—
(A)
title to the parcel shall
revert to the United States, at the option of the United States; and
(B)
the County shall be
responsible for any reclamation necessary to revert the parcel to the United
States.
(g)
The Secretary shall require,
as a condition of the conveyance under subsection (d), that the County pay the
administrative costs of the conveyance, including survey costs and any other
costs associated with the transfer of title.