[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 13, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1980-H1982]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
APEX AREA TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS ACT
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 618) to amend the Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and
Authorization Act of 1989 to include the City of North Las Vegas and
the Apex Industrial Park Owners Association, and for other purposes, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 618
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Apex Area Technical
Corrections Act''.
SEC. 2. APEX PROJECT, NEVADA LAND TRANSFER AND AUTHORIZATION
ACT OF 1989.
The Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and Authorization
Act of 1989 (Public Law 101-67; 103 Stat. 168) is amended--
[[Page H1981]]
(1) in section 2(b)--
(A) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (8); and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following:
``(6) The term `Apex Industrial Park Owners Association'
has the meaning given such term by the charter document for
the entity entitled `Apex Industrial Park Owners
Association', formed on April 9, 2001, and any successor
documents to such charter document, on file with the Nevada
Secretary of State.
``(7) The term `City of North Las Vegas' means North Las
Vegas, Nevada.'';
(2) in section 3(b)--
(A) by striking ``Clark County for the connection'' and
inserting ``Clark County, the City of North Las Vegas, and
the Apex Industrial Park Owners Association, individually or
jointly as appropriate, for the connection'';
(B) by striking ``Kerr-McGee Site'' and inserting ``Kerr-
McGee Site and other lands conveyed in accordance with this
Act''; and
(C) by inserting ``(or any successor maps created by the
Secretary)'' after ``May 1989'';
(3) in section 4(c), by striking ``Pursuant'' and all that
follows through ``Clark County'' and inserting ``During such
time as the requirements of section 6 are met, and pursuant
to applicable law, the Secretary shall grant Clark County,
the City of North Las Vegas, and the Apex Industrial Owners
Association'';
(4) in section 4(e)(1), by striking the last sentence and
inserting ``The withdrawal made by this subsection shall
continue in perpetuity for all lands transferred in
accordance with this subsection.'';
(5) in section 4(e), by adding at the end the following:
``(3) In the case of the sale of mineral materials
resulting from grading, land balancing, or other activities
on the surface of a parcel within the Apex Site for which the
United States retains and interest in the minerals--
``(A) it shall be considered impracticable to obtain
competition for purposes of section 3602.31(a)(2) of title
43, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of
the enactment of the Apex Area Technical Corrections Act);
and
``(B) such sale shall be exempt from the quantity and term
limitations imposed on noncompetitive sales under subpart
3602 of such title (as in effect on the date of the enactment
of the Apex Area Technical Corrections Act.''; and
(6) in section 6, by adding at the end the following:
``(d) Compliance With Environmental Assessments.--Each
transfer by the United States of additional lands or
interests in lands within the Apex Site or rights-of-way
issued pursuant to this Act shall be conditioned upon
compliance with applicable Federal land laws, including the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal
Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.
General Leave
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 618, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Representative Horsford's bill,
H.R. 618, the Apex Area Technical Corrections Act.
H.R. 618 is a bipartisan bill supported by the entire Nevada
delegation that would streamline permitting in the Apex Industrial Park
in North Las Vegas to encourage new business development and economic
growth.
Specifically, the legislation authorizes the Secretary of the
Interior to grant utility and transportation rights-of-way to the Apex
Industrial Park Owners Association, the city of North Las Vegas, and
Clark County for electric, power, water, natural gas, telephone,
railroad, or highway facilities.
Congress created the Apex Industrial Park in 1989 by authorizing the
sale of roughly 21,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management land to Clark
County, Nevada, to establish a new area to attract businesses and
create jobs.
While the original law directed BLM to issue utility and
transportation rights-of-way for Apex, businesses seeking to start
construction or expand operations currently face a complicated
permitting process. The delayed installation of utilities has stalled
the growth of existing businesses in the Apex area. Additionally, the
prolonged permitting process deters new investment and hinders economic
development in North Las Vegas.
Removing bureaucratic delays by the Federal Government is necessary
for the growth and prosperity of North Las Vegas.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Horsford and the entire Nevada
delegation for their work on this issue. I support the bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise today in strong support of H.R. 618, the Apex Area Technical
Corrections Act, a forward-looking bill by my colleague Representative
Horsford that will strengthen economic opportunity and improve land
management in southern Nevada.
This bill would update the Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and
Authorization Act of 1989 to provide the city of North Las Vegas and
the Apex Industrial Park Owners Association with improved access and
management authority in the Apex Industrial Park.
The Apex Industrial Park is a critical driver of job creation,
logistics, and advanced manufacturing in southern Nevada and the
critical update provided by this bill would open the door to more
efficient growth, infrastructure investment, and regional coordination.
This bill reflects how modern public-private partnerships should
work, by empowering local governments and stakeholders to align Federal
resources with local needs.
The bill would maintain full compliance with Federal environmental
standards, including NEPA and FLPMA, ensuring that responsible growth
and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.
Finally, the bill would simplify mineral sales during land grading,
cutting delays when competition is not feasible while protecting
Federal interests and upholding transparency.
This is exactly how Congress should tap into the potential of
utilizing Federal lands and resources to support local communities.
There has been a transparent process with multiple hearings and
significant stakeholder engagement.
This is the way the legislative process should work, and I thank
Representative Horsford and Representative Lee for leading the effort,
along with the support of Representative Titus. I know their
constituents back home in Nevada appreciate all the hard work and
effort that has gone into this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume
to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford), the sponsor of the bill.
Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 618. I
thank Ms. Hoyle, the floor manager for the committee as well as the
chairman, for the courtesy.
In 1989, Congress enacted the Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and
Authorization Act, directing the sale of 21,000 acres of Federal land
to Clark County for the establishment of the Apex Industrial Area.
This law permits only the Bureau of Land Management and Clark County
to issue utility and transportation rights-of-way.
Originally, Clark County had this authorization in order to make the
permitting process shorter. In recent years, however, the city of North
Las Vegas and the Apex Industrial Owners Association primarily manage
the site, not Clark County.
The result is that this law has had the opposite effect and leads to
a longer permitting process for businesses that need to construct
sewer, gas, and power, as well as broadband infrastructure.
Amending the Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and Authorization Act
to include the city of North Las Vegas and the Apex Area Industrial
Owners Association as permittees would allow the original congressional
intent of expediting the permitting process to be fulfilled.
H.R. 618 is an extremely simple fix to a complex problem that plagues
Apex and causes major slowdowns at the Southern Nevada Bureau of Land
Management and stifles economic growth in the county.
[[Page H1982]]
I thank Chairman Westerman, Ranking Member Jared Huffman as well as
Representative Hoyle and the rest of the Natural Resources Committee
for allowing this measure to pass through committee and to come to the
floor.
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members support this legislation on
economic development, expediting the permitting process, and ensuring
that the lands in our community are decided by the residents who use
them.
Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, this legislation would support economic
growth, create jobs, and attract new businesses to North Las Vegas by
streamlining permitting and cutting Federal red tape. I commend
Representative Horsford on this bill, and I urge its adoption.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 618, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________