Bullfrog County, Nevada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bullfrog County
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Former county
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Location of the county within Nevada, United States in 1987–1989.
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Nevada |
| Created | June 30, 1987 |
| Dissolved | May 3, 1989 |
| Named for | Bullfrog Mining District; green and yellow ore |
| Seat | Carson City (extraterritorial) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 370 km2 (144 sq mi) |
| Population
(1987)
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| • Total | 0 |
Bullfrog County was a special kind of county in the U.S. state of Nevada. It was created by the Nevada Legislature in 1987. What made it unique was that it had no people living in it!
This county covered about 144 square miles (373 square kilometers) around Yucca Mountain. It was carved out of Nye County. Even though it was in the middle of nowhere, its "county seat" (the main office) was far away in Carson City, about 270 miles (435 km) away. The people in charge of Bullfrog County were chosen by the governor, not elected by voters.
Bullfrog County was created because of a big plan to build a nuclear waste site in the area. Nevada wanted to stop this site from being built. The county was meant to make it very expensive to use the land. It also aimed to send any money from the site directly to the state government, instead of Nye County.
However, creating Bullfrog County caused many legal problems for Nevada. Some people said it wasn't fair or right. Nye County sued the state. In 1988, a court decided that Bullfrog County's creation went against the state constitution. So, in 1989, it was dissolved and became part of Nye County again.
Why Was Bullfrog County Created?
The United States government wanted to build a place to store radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain. This area was then part of Nye County. Nevada, like other states considered for the site, strongly opposed the plan.
The federal government offered money to Nye County if the site was built there. This money would go directly to the county, not the state. To change this, a Nevada lawmaker named Paul May suggested creating a new county. This new county would be Bullfrog County. It got its name from the Bullfrog Mining District nearby. Miners called it that because the gold ore there was green and yellow, like a bullfrog.
Since Bullfrog County had no people, any federal money for the waste site would go straight to the state government. Also, the property taxes in Bullfrog County were set very high, at 5 percent. This was the highest allowed by the state constitution. This huge tax was meant to make it too costly for the government to build the waste site. But it also meant the state would get a lot of money if the site was built anyway.
The bill to create Bullfrog County was passed in June 1987. Governor Richard Bryan signed it into law. The law said that if the waste site was not built, the county would disappear and go back to Nye County.
Bullfrog County was one of the shortest-lived counties in American history. It was also the only "enclave" county in the U.S. An enclave county is one completely surrounded by another county.
Why Did Bullfrog County Disappear?
Bullfrog County's existence caused big legal issues for Nevada. For example, the Nevada Constitution says that criminal trials must happen in the county where the crime took place. The jury must also be made of people from that county. But Bullfrog County had no people and no court system. This meant it would be impossible to have a trial there.
The Department of Energy was not happy about Bullfrog County. They gave special money to nearby Clark County. However, Clark County used this money to study Yucca Mountain. These studies often showed problems with the site.
Some people also worried that creating the county made it look like Nevada would support the waste dump if it got enough money. U.S. Senator Chic Hecht said that people were misunderstanding Nevada's true feelings. He insisted that Nevadans still did not want the dump.
Nye County was upset because it lost control and potential money. It asked Governor Bryan to get rid of Bullfrog County. When he refused, Nye County took the state to court. They argued that creating Bullfrog County was against the state constitution.
In February 1988, a special hearing was held. A retired judge, David Zenoff, found that Bullfrog County's creation was unconstitutional. He said that since the county had no residents, it couldn't have a proper government. He also ruled that the governor appointing the county leaders went against the idea of democracy.
Because of this ruling, the state legislature officially got rid of Bullfrog County in 1989. The land went back to Nye County. Yucca Mountain was eventually chosen as the waste site. However, its construction has been delayed for many years due to ongoing opposition from Nevada.
