Amodei bill would give Virginia City land to county

CARSON CITY - Rights to hundreds of acres in historic Virginia City would be transferred to Storey County under a bill Rep. Mark Amodei introduced Wednesday to resolve decades of conflict over who owns the land.

The measure, called the Restoring Storey Act, would address disputes over ownership and title claims to about 1,745 acres under federal Bureau of Land Management control in the Comstock region, Amodei said.

"This is a historic problem for Virginia City dating back to the 19th century," Amodei, R-Nev., said in a statement.

He said faulty surveys, questionable maps and lost documentation make it "nearly impossible" to sort out ownership.

"The property in question has been occupied for decades by families who believe they own it when legally they're considered trespassers on BLM land," Amodei said.

One of the world's richest silver veins known as the Comstock Lode was discovered in 1859 about 20 miles southeast of Reno and touched off a mining frenzy that drew thousands of people to the West and made Virginia City a boomtown.

The Interior Department secretary would have 60 days after the bill was enacted to quitclaim the surface rights of the BLM land to Storey County.

The bill would not affect mineral rights.

It was not known how many private property owners in Virginia City are considered to be trespassers by the BLM.

BLM spokeswoman Erica Haspiel-Szlosek in Reno said the agency was in favor of finding a solution for Storey County residents.

Trying to figure out how many properties may be in trespass and resolving discrepancies on a case-by-case basis would be a monumental task involving title searches, land surveys and separating mineral rights from surface ownership, Haspiel-Szlosek said.

"These issues extend back to the mid-1800s, and finding solutions would be at a cost of probably millions of dollars and several years," she said.

Amodei's office said a 25-acre parcel at the center of a dispute between the BLM and Comstock Mining Inc. is not part of the bill, though the disagreement illustrates the confusion Amodei's bill seeks to address.

Comstock Mining hopes to start mining up to $3 billion worth of gold and silver from areas near Virginia City.

BLM officials argue that the company has been trespassing because it was not authorized to widen a road on 25 acres of what the agency considers public land between the company's open pit mine and its processing site.

The Reno Gazette-Journal reported earlier that the BLM notified Comstock that if it continues to use the plot of land in Gold Hill, it could face a $1,000 fine, a 12-month sentence, or both.

Comstock Mining has countered that the land has been privately owned since at least 1869, and county officials say it has been taxed by the county as private property.

Comstock agreed to stop using 50-ton hauling trucks on the property until the issue is resolved.

Last week, despite the objection of residents, the Storey County Planning Commission recommended allowing the company to use about a mile stretch of State Route 342 to haul ore from its mine site.

The company has said its use of the highway would be temporary.