Feds launch environmental review process for second major airport near Las Vegas
After more than two decades of delays federal officials are starting an environmental review for Clark County's long-anticipated second commercial airport.
Local and federal officials have long sought to build a new airport on 6,000 acres in the Ivanpah Valley north of Primm, arguing the Harry Reid International Airport will not be able to keep up with projected demand for air travel without the supplemental airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the Bureau of Land Management issued a notice of intent last week to prepare an environmental impact statement, starting the formal review for the proposed Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport (SNSA).
Rosemary Vassiliadis, the director of aviation for Clark County, called the announcement a major milestone for the region.
'This important step brings us closer to addressing the increasing demand for air travel in one of the nation's fastest growing regions,' Vassiliadis said in a statement last week.
'As a second commercial airport, SNSA will add much-needed capacity, improve service reliability, and ensure Southern Nevada continues to thrive as a global destination for business and tourism,' she continued.
The Harry Reid International Airport will reach its full capacity of 63 million to 65 million passengers annually by 2030, according to the Clark County Department of Aviation estimates
The Clark County Department of Aviation said the Ivanpah airport would provide long-term aviation capacity for the Las Vegas metropolitan area and primarily serve charter, long-haul domestic and international flights.
The supplemental airport was first proposed in 2006 by the Clark County Department of Aviation, but local economic conditions following the Great Recession and other local budgetary constraints stalled the project for decades. In 2010 the Clark County Department of Aviation asked the FAA to suspend any work on the environmental review.
Earlier this year, county officials confirmed that the environmental review process would resume for the future airport, which would include two runways and a terminal building in the Ivanpah Valley.
Congress transferred public land to Clark County for the construction of the airport site in 2000 through the Ivanpah Valley Airport Public Lands Transfer Act.
The new airport site would cover an area of 6,000 acres, 2,000 acres for flood mitigation infrastructure, and an additional 17,000 acres of land that are set aside as a noise compatibility buffer, making the new airport site over 25,000 acres.
State officials have suggested the new airport could lead to further development in Clark County. In 2023, state lawmakers unanimously approved Senate Bill 19 which would allow Clark County to put aside at least 5,000 acres for a new commercial and residential development in the vicinity of the new airport.
Conservation groups have long opposed the development of the airport, saying its development could threaten two endangered species in the area, the desert tortoise and the white-margined penstemon – a small pink bell-shaped flower fixed on long hardy stems with waved oblong leaves.
The rare wildflower only grows in four counties across the Mojave Desert: Clark County, Nye County, San Bernardino County in California, and Mohave County in Arizona.
Patrick Donnelly, the Great Basin director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the conservation group would follow the environmental review process 'to ensure that sensitive biological resources are not unduly harmed by the airport, and that appropriate mitigation measures are implemented.'
'Just because Congress gave the land to Clark County, doesn't mean the airport is pre-approved. Laws like the Endangered Species Act mandate the strictest of protections,' Donnelly said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the Bureau of Land Management plan to hold three public scoping meetings this July to gather testimony about the environmental impact of a new airport, starting with a virtual meeting on July 29.
Two in-person meetings will be held in July, the first will be held on July 30 at the East Las Vegas Library, and the second will be on July 31 at Primm Valley Casino Resorts.
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