Reid, Guinn at odds over indefinite lockup of Nellis range

Thursday, Nov. 19, 1998 | 9:23 a.m.

"I am not in favor of permanent withdrawal," Reid told The Associated Press.

"We should review it periodically. It should not be permanently withdrawn," the Nevada Democrat said in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

Guinn's support for the permanent action was announced Tuesday in a letter to the Air Force, which was read during a two-hour hearing on the future of the ranges.

"The safety of America and the Free World depends on the continuous operation of Nellis and its ranges," the new Republican governor said.

"I urge you to ask Congress for a permanent withdrawal of the ranges to allow this premier testing facility to remain as the one place we will have forever to train our fighting forces," he said.

It marked Guinn's first public policy statement since being elected.

In addition to Reid, it puts him at odds with recreationalists, miners, environmentalists and military watchdog groups who want Congress to allow the Air Force to use the land for another 15 years, not forever.

"In the past it's been 15 years and that is fine with me. That is long enough," Reid said Wednesday.

Other public officials in Clark County have expressed support the continued operation of the Nellis range, including Guinn's election opponent Mayor Jan Jones.

But none - before Guinn this week - had suggested the land be withdrawn indefinitely for the Air Force.

Guinn said the Nellis range has played an important part both in training military pilots and in the economy for Southern Nevada.

"As governor-elect of the state of Nevada, one of my priorities will be to make sure the ranges at Nellis Air Force Base are renewed on a permanent basis," Guinn said.

"For the last 50 years, Nellis has been an integral part in the development of the state of Nevada. It has played a major role in the economics of many of our communities..."

The Air Force conducted the seventh and final public hearing Tuesday night on the draft of the legislative environmental impact statement. It plans a final statement early in 1999.

Congress in 1986 allowed the Air Force to use the range for 15 years. The Air Force is suggesting Congress extend the deadline in 2001 for either 25 years or indefinitely.

The hearing also featured a walk-out by seven members of a group called Interfaith Action for Peace who complained they were muzzled by presiding officer Col. Pat Sweeney. He refused to allow the group members to put on a 17-minute play.

The members placed tape over their mouths to show they were not permitted to stage their skit and then walked out of the hearing to the applause of approximately 50 people who attended.

The 15-year limit for Air Force use was backed by Alan Coyner, administrator of the state Division of Minerals; Marjorie Sill of the Sierra Club; Grace Potorti of the Rural Alliance for Military Accountability and Tom Myers of Friends of Nevada Wilderness.

Nye County Commissioner Dick Carver, a leader in the fight against federal management of lands in Nevada, said the commission opposes any permanent withdrawal, and he wants some of the land released for mining.

With the passage of Indian gambling in California, Carver said the state's economy may have to depend more on its second major industry, mining. In opposing an indefinite withdrawal, Carver said "Times change and this should be temporary."

Air Force officials said Nellis was the only area in the United States large enough to conduct major air maneuvers. Col. Bill Percival, commander of range management at Nellis, called it "one of a kind."

In the Gulf War, the Air Force was able to simulate the Iraq air defenses for training pilots. And that may have saved countless lives, he said.

One suggestion being considered by the Air Force is to release 30,000 acres on the western border of the range that may have potential for mining.