WASHINGTON -- Despite being rebuffed this year, the Bush administration continues to eye profits from federal land sales in Clark County to help pay for other government programs, Interior Secretary Gale Norton said Wednesday.

Norton said there "will continue to be some focus" on billions of dollars Nevada keeps to buy environmentally sensitive land, provide recreation and supplement local water and state education budgets.

"It is a large amount of money, and with a very tight budget situation, a lot of members of Congress are looking at other sources of revenue that have not yet been tapped and might be tapped for their priority projects," Norton said in an interview with reporters.

Norton's comments signal that the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act will continue to sit in the cross hairs. The 1998 law sets auctions for Bureau of Land Management property in Clark County and a formula for how the profits can be spent, with Nevada the beneficiary.

The news came as little surprise to Nevada lawmakers, who blocked attempts this year to redirect at least $750 million of the land profits. They said they expect annual fights.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the Bush administration is looking for money to offset what it has "squandered" on tax cuts.

"I bet they are looking every place for money, but to take the money, they have to change the law." Reid said.

"I don't think they have the votes to change the law."

White House officials argue that Clark County lands sales have raised more than 17 times the amount that was projected in 1998, an amount that is more than enough to take care of the state and have money left over for other uses.

The sales have generated an estimated $1.9 billion since the first sale in 1999. A November auction raised another $799 million, but the sales have yet to be certified, BLM spokeswoman Hillerie Patton said.

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said he telephoned White House budget director Joshua Bolten on Wednesday and warned him not to seek a share of the land money in the new budget plan the administration will send to Congress early next year.

"I reiterated my position and told him if he does put this in the budget, he will lose," said Ensign. "We've committed to fighting them on this."

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., this year abandoned plans of his own to funnel 35 percent of land sale profits to Nevada education.

Gibbons chief of staff Amy Maier declined Wednesday to say whether Gibbons would push his idea next year.

"It all depends on what the scenario is next year," Maier said. "Our top priority this year was to make sure we could keep the funds in Nevada."

Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said state leaders again would band together "to keep the money where it belongs, in Nevada."

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., accused the Bush administration of trying to "steal our money."

"Hearing Gale Norton once again brag about pilfering Nevada's proceeds from public land sales is like listening to a broken record," Berkley said in a statement.