Congress created a federal land program specifically to help solve Southern Nevada’s affordable housing shortage. Years later, it’s barely been touched — and officials aren’t entirely sure why. Section 7(b) of the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act was written to direct proceeds from federal land sales in Clark County toward affordable housing development. Despite… Continue reading A Federal Program Could Ease Southern Nevada’s Housing Crunch. Almost Nobody Is Using It.

A new pipeline meant to protect Southern Nevada from a water system failure just became law. Critics say the same law that makes the valley safer also greases the skids for one of the most contested land fights in state history. President Donald Trump signed the Sloan Canyon Conservation and Horizon Lateral Water Pipeline Act… Continue reading Congress Approved a New Water Pipeline for Las Vegas. Critics Say It’s a Backdoor to 25,000 Acres of Sprawl.

A 3,500-home development near Red Rock Canyon fought off two decades of opposition and lawsuits to reach groundbreaking. A magistrate judge says at least one county commissioner tried to quietly stop it anyway — and got caught. Grading work is underway this year on the long-disputed Blue Diamond Hill housing project, according to the project’s… Continue reading Blue Diamond Hill Homes Are Finally Breaking Ground. A Judge Says the County Tried to Stop It — Then Covered It Up.

A hydroelectric proposal is quietly advancing through federal permitting near Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. If built, it would use enough water to serve tens of thousands of homes — in a desert basin regulators already call overappropriated. The Desert Bloom Project, a closed-loop pumped storage hydropower proposal on Blue Diamond Hill, won preliminary… Continue reading A Company Wants to Flood Part of Red Rock Canyon’s Backyard for Battery Storage

Homeowners in parts of Las Vegas and Henderson are getting dropped or denied insurance coverage over wildfire risk — in neighborhoods state regulators say aren’t actually at high risk of burning. Clark County ranked second in Nevada for both homeowners insurance cancellations and nonrenewals and for new application denials tied to wildfire risk, according to… Continue reading Nevada Insurers Are Treating Las Vegas Like It’s on Fire. Regulators Don’t Know Why.