It's called the White Pine County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act, but the pending federal lands bill may have lost the support of its namesake county.

The commissioners on Tuesday voted to not back the bill unless money is added to pay for a groundwater study in areas of the county targeted by a massive pipeline to Las Vegas.

"We had to take a stand," said Commissioner Gary Perea. "Right now, water is the most important issue in White Pine County."

Specifically, commissioners are calling for an amendment to the bill that would extend the scope of a federal groundwater study now under way in eastern Nevada.

Perea said they want the study by the U.S. Geological Survey to examine potential impacts from the Southern Nevada Water Authority's plan to pump billions of gallons of groundwater to Las Vegas from two valleys in White Pine County.

He acknowledged, however, that the commission's act of legislative brinkmanship could jeopardize the bill that took nearly four years of tours, meetings and workshops to draft.

"It's not a decision we made lightly," he said. "There are a lot of good things in the bill ... but all those things need water. If the water isn't there, all those other natural resources will go away."

A letter outlining the county's concerns was sent on Wednesday to the bill's sponsors, Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign.

The measure, introduced in August, would authorize the Bureau of Land Management to auction up to 45,000 federal acres in White Pine County.

Profits would be divided, with 5 percent going into the state education fund, 10 percent for White Pine law enforcement and transportation planning, and the rest for wilderness management in the county.

Reid and Ensign have touted the land sales as a way to spur growth and the economy in the rural county, where roughly 95 percent of land is under federal control.

The measure also would create 13 new wilderness areas in the county, while expanding two others.

What upset some county leaders was the addition of almost $1 billion to the bill for water-related projects in Clark County, including the water authority's "cash-for-grass" program and a new sewage outflow system at Lake Mead.

"We thought, 'Hell, this is a White Pine County lands bill; let's put some water projects in there for White Pine County,'" said Commissioner John Chachas, who views Tuesday's vote as a request rather than a threat.

"We're a bankrupt county," he said. "We want money for water studies, and federal pockets are much deeper than ours."

Reid spokesman Jon Summers said he is confident that White Pine County's concerns can be addressed in time for the bill to be considered by the current Congress. "It's a matter of reaching a compromise," he said.

Ensign's deputy chief of staff John Lopez said he is sure the matter can be put to rest, and quickly. "In the past, we've overcome obstacles with (federal lands bills in other counties), and we're 100 percent certain we'll be able to do so with White Pine County."

Perea certainly hopes so.

"I don't think we're asking for anything that's unreasonable," he said. "If it kills the bill, it's an example of Reid and Ensign not listening to us. It's an example of them ignoring White Pine County."