Test Site could host terrorist-response training

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

One possible future use for the Nevada Test Site could be as a center for training people to respond to emergencies, including biological and chemical threats from terrorists.

This possibility and a host of others were discussed during a meeting Tuesday of the board of directors of the Nevada Test Site Development Corp.

The board agreed to spend $150,000 over the next four months to study the idea of having a training program for emergency situations be situated at the Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Counter-terrorism, retrievable rockets, renewable fuels and solar power generation were all discussed as possible uses for the Test Site, whose former primary mission of testing nuclear weapons has been dormant since a moratorium on nuclear testing was ordered by President George Bush.

John O'Reilly, board chairman of the NTS Development Corp., said achieving any of the possibilities will require partnerships between private businesses and the federal government.

Obstacles facing future Test Site development include lack of federal funding and conflicts with certain activities -- such as satellite launches on retrievable rockets -- because of Air Force training exercises near the site and the need to keep the U.S. ready to test nuclear weapons.

Sens. Harry Reid and Richard Bryan, both D-Nev., support the alternative activities at the site where the United States conducted 1,000 nuclear experiments from 1951 to 1992. Gov. Bob Miller also sent a letter in support of a new era there.

"As the emphasis on nuclear testing diminishes, there is a great opportunity to utilize the Test Site to improve our abilities to respond to other life-threatening hazards," Miller wrote.

Reid said the Test Site could become a perfect place to disarm millions of explosive mines strewn across such countries as Angola as well as training emergency crews.

President Clinton has also ordered the Test Site to remain ready to resume nuclear weapons testing.

"I hope we will never go back to underground testing," Reid said during the board meeting at Alexis Park hotel.

But the senator said plans for subcritical tests -- weapons experiments without nuclear explosions -- should be part of the Test Site's future to keep the U.S. nuclear stockpile safe.

Acting Test Site General Manager Terry Vaeth said the subcritical tests could begin next year.

Bryan's work has led to development of a solar enterprise zone that includes the Test Site, and the promise of the Department of Energy to buy 10 megawatts of solar energy from the Corporation for Solar Technology and Renewable Research.

"Solar is ideal for us," Bryan said, noting that the sun shines brightest on Southern Nevada and the state may someday export electricity from solar generators.

CSTRR Executive Director Rose McKinney-James said the first solar plant will be developed at the Test Site. Future sun power generators could be built in Eldorado Valley near Boulder City.

The Nevada Test Site has a chance for developing such alternatives because it has strong backing from a wide range of community groups and has approached its future in a practical way, said Bob DeGrasse, DOE's transition leader.

The isolated buildings, laboratories and land at the Test Site can attract industry tests, defense activities and emergency response training, DeGrasse said.

No large industrial development is on the horizon in the near future, because the site is so remote, he said.

Other projects the NTS Development Corp. board approved for further development or study include:

* Rockets: The board approved negotiating a lease with the Department of Energy for a retrievable rocket facility run by Kistler Aerospace. A dozen Russian-built rockets are available from Aerojet Corp. in Sacramento, Calif. If the Federal Aviation Administration and Air Force approve, 10 flights to launch satellites for Space Systems/Loral could begin in 1999.

* Hydrogen: Two companies, Sustainable Technologies Inc. and NRG Technologies are interested in the Test Site as a place to further research into hydrogen, which could replace oil as the dominant fuel. Unlike oil, hydrogen does not pollute the environment and can be used in automobiles, airplanes -- any engine that now runs on fossil fuel.

* Hazardous Waste: The board will negotiate with Fluid Tech Inc., which solidifies liquid radioactive wastes. Plans for Fluid Tech to open its plant in Amargosa Valley upset residents. The Test Site has available space and needs the help to convert radioactive and chemical wastes.