A comprehensive study conducted by NumbersUSA confirms that legal and illegal immigration, as a consequence of federal immigration policy, is the number one cause of urban sprawl. According to the study, Nevada takes first place in three categories: fastest population growth, fastest loss of natural habitat and farmland, and the driest state.

To note, the study complied federal data provided from 1982-2017. During that time period, Nevada had a 153 percent rate (nearly 500 square miles) of expanding sprawl compared to the U.S. average of 61 percent.

Nevada’s population growth was 237 percent over the 35-year period. That was nearly twice as high as the second fastest-growing state and about six times higher than the U.S. population growth of 40 percent.

NumbersUSA reports:

Decisions by Congress and other federal officials about immigration loom as the biggest single factor in the nation’s current population growth, accounting for nearly 90%. National population growth trends have a direct and indirect effect on Nevada.

Federal data show that about 39% of Nevada’s population growth from 1982 to 2017 was a direct result of post-1982 foreign immigration into the state.

More than 800,000 residents in 2017 were either (1) foreign-born residents who moved to Nevada from abroad or other states after 1982, or (2) were children and grandchildren of post-1982 arrivals; none of that part of the population would be in the state except for federal immigration policies.

(The “foreign-born” category includes residents who are legal immigrants, illegal border crossers and visa overstayers, and  temporary workers, students, asylum applicants, and longer-term tourists.)

Population growth is also main cause of farmland and habitat loss. Despite political outcomes, Nevadan’s are largely opposed of paving over vast swaths of natural habitat to accommodate the sprawl, and an equal number are opposed to rezoning efforts by local municipalities, like Reno, to “build up” instead of “out.”

“Green” energy, like solar farms, require vast amounts of land and water to operate in the “driest state.” As the Globe reported, one solar farm in Boulder City, Nevada used 20 million gallons of water in just two months to mitigate dust caused by its construction.

By a 3-1 majority, Nevada likely voters indicated that they place a high ethical value on protecting cropland for agricultural use and from urban development, in a poll conducted in conjunction with the report.

As Nevada faces an “affordable housing crisis,” the massive increase in legal and illegal immigration has driven the crisis.

What are the solutions a majority of Nevadan’s support? According to the study, the federal government should limit or reduce immigration:

As nearly 90 percent of Nevada’s land is owned by the federal government, bipartisan efforts to release federal lands for housing creates headlines, but rarely does the root cause make headlines–until Senator J.D. Vance mentioned illegal immigration as a root cause during the Vice Presidential debate. The partisan moderators demanded proof of his claims, and the following day Vance posted federal government receipts on social media:

Since President Biden assumed office in January 2021, an estimated 10-15 million illegal aliens crossed the border and approximately 2 million are unaccounted for. According to reports, Since 2021, Nevada has seen an increase of 562 percent in the state’s illegal immigrant population.

“The research literature has generally found that increases in immigration raise state and local governments’ spending — particularly on education, health care, and housing — more than their revenues,” the report said. (emphasis added). According to FAIR US, in 2023 illegal immigration cost Nevada taxpayers an estimated $2 billion, or nearly $2,000 per Nevada household annually.

The Globe spoke to Leon Kolankiewicz, Scientific Director for NumbersUSA. He has been the lead author of 16 studies on sprawl and loss of wildlife habitat, open space, and farmland for NumbersUSA in the past 24 years.

When asked how unlimited immigration impacts resources and sustainability, he replied:

“Our greatest blunder, or our biggest misunderstanding, is not being able to understand exponential growth because it can come on so suddenly and it hits you like a ton of bricks. For example, if you’re growing by one percent a year, that’s a doubling time of 70 years. If you’re growing by two percent a year, that’s a doubling time of 35 years, and so on.

So anything that grows exponentially is unsustainable in nature.

America’s own working class is disadvantaged by this and disproportionately impacting Black and Latino citizens. So, they are the ones who are hurt the most. The vgroups who claim that they care about these working class people? It’s a crock.”

The Globe will publish the entire interview withLeon Kolankiewicz in a following article.