Rural Northern Nevada city grows by 10,000 acres
CARSON CITY — The city of Yerington in Lyon County grew a little bit bigger Friday after the federal government completed the transfer of public lands to local control.
The Yerington Land Conveyance became final when the Bureau of Land Management issued the patents to 10,055 acres.
About 4,000 acres goes to the city of Yerington for development of recreational and economic opportunities. The rest will be conveyed by the city to Nevada Copper for expansion and development of its Pumpkin Hollow mine.
The land conveyance was included in the National Defense Authorization Act approved by Congress last year and signed by President Barack Obama in December 2014.
The act authorized the land transfer at fair market value, which was determined at $1.8 million, said BLM Project Manager Brian Buttazoni.
Nevada Cooper agreed to pay the purchase price under its deal with the city and Lyon County, according to the project's website.
Officials have said Nevada Copper has already upgraded power lines and made other infrastructure improvements.
City and county officials hope further investments in roads, water and sewer infrastructure for the mine will help attract other new economic activity to a region hard hit by the recession.
Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901. Find her on Twitter: @SandraChereb.
