Henderson mayor urges bill on cleaning up Three Kids Mine

WASHINGTON -- Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen urged a House panel Tuesday to support a public-private plan to clean up and redevelop polluted land surrounding the abandoned Three Kids Mine.

Hafen told a House Natural Resources subcommittee the project would be a great benefit, providing a way to put 1,262 acres into productive use.

"Aside from the economic impact, it is a wonderful way to clean up an environmentally sensitive and hazardous area," he said.

Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., has proposed legislation that would transfer 948 acres of federal land to the Henderson Redevelopment Agency for cleanup and redevelopment. The cost of the environmental cleanup would be deducted from the appraised value of the property.

The Henderson Redevelopment Agency has an agreement with Lakemoore Development LLC to finance the cleanup and convert the 1,262 acres into a residential development.

Mine waste on the federal property would be deposited in large pits on the private land, providing a cost-effective way to clean up the site. Excavation, transportation and off-site residue disposal would be prohibitively expensive otherwise, Hafen said.

The property on Lake Mead Parkway across from Lake Las Vegas is contaminated with lead, arsenic, asbestos and piles of tailings and trash.

When completed, the residential project would allow an additional 15,000 people to move to Henderson, bringing with them between $1.5 billion and $2 billion in economic impact, Hafen said. A nearby Landwell project of 2,200 acres was estimated to have a $3 billion economic impact, he said.

The entire Nevada delegation has signed on in support of the legislation.

At the hearing, Heck said the project is a "unique public-private partnership proposal" that would create jobs at no cost to the federal government.

Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., who serves on the panel, raised concerns about the cost of the cleanup and who would pay for it if the project fell apart.

"I support the goals," he said. "But we still need to address whether there are sufficient funds to complete the cleanup and who would be responsible if the cleanup was abandoned."

Mike Pool, deputy director of the Bureau of Land Management, said the agency supports the cleanup effort but has reservations about the legislation.

In particular, the bureau wants to ensure that the Southern Nevada Water Authority keep access to water and utility infrastructure on the property.

Hafen said before the hearing that the public-private partnership is probably "the best way" available to clean up the property, which is both an environmental and a physical hazard.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau writer Peter Urban at purban@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.