Yerington mines bill set for hearing, Horsford says

A bill that would enable development of a major copper mine in Lyon County has been set for a hearing Thursday, said Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev.

“The Lyon County Economic Development and Conservation Act is a common-sense jobs bill that will bring desperately needed work to a county still seriously suffering from the lingering effects of recession,” Horsford said in a statement.

Horsford said that with the support of fellow Nevada House member Mark Amodei, R-Nev., he will continue pushing for passage of the measure.

The legislation would allow Yerington to partner with Nevada Copper to develop 12,500 acres surrounding the Pumpkin Hollow mine site. That project would create an estimated 800 mining jobs and 500 construction jobs in the county that has, for more than two years, had Nevada’s highest unemployment rate.

The land released from federal control to Yerington would be used for a variety of economic-development purposes, including the mining project.

In trade, the bill designates 48,000 acres as the Wovoka Wilderness.

The hearing will be held before the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation.