Nevada

Environmental protection

Preservation of the state's clean air, scarce water resources, and no longer abundant wildlife are the major environmental challenges facing Nevada. The Department of Fish and Game sets quotas on the hunting of deer, antelope, bighorn sheep, and other game animals. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has broad responsibility for environmental protection, state lands, forests, and water and mineral resources. The Division of Environmental Protection within the department has primary responsibility for the control of air pollution, water pollution, waste management, and groundwater protection. In 2003, Nevada had 33 hazardous waste sites listed in the Environmental Protection Agency's database, one of which was on the National Priorities List. Although wetlands cover only about 1% of the mainly barren state, they are some of the most valuable lands in the state. In 2001, Nevada received $32,498,000 in federal grants from the Environmental Protection Agency; EPA expenditures for procurement contracts in Nevada that year amounted to $846,000.