House to vote on compromise bombing-range bill

Friday, Aug. 13, 1999 | 10:04 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A compromise bill that allows Nellis Air Force Base to continue to use 3.1 million acres in Southern Nevada for a bombing range for the next 20 years will be voted on by the House of Representatives in early September, Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said.

Gibbons said he worked with Air Force Secretary Whitten Peters to get a bill acceptable to the Clinton administration, the Nevada senators and Gov. Kenny Guinn.

Guinn favored allowing the Air Force to lock up the bombing range indefinitely, as long as it conducted its military exercises there. But a spokesman for Guinn said the 20 years was acceptable if it is continued to be used for the bombing range and other Air Force training exercises.

Sens. Harry Reid and Richard Bryan, both Nevada Democrats, favored a 15-year withdrawal (meaning withdrawing the land from public use). Gibbons said Reid "felt comfortable" with the 20-year compromise withdrawal. The legislation was approved by the Senate last week.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who initially favored only a 15-year withdrawal, has not yet had a chance to study the bill. Richard Urey, her chief of staff, said the legislation is improved by reducing the time from 25 to 20 years.

But he said this is a "wide ranging bill" with other defense items, and she (Berkley) "wants to take a good look at it."

Urey said Berkley is concerned about the future growth in Southern Nevada and whether the bill might impact that.

Congress in 1986 allowed the Air Force to use the land for 15 years. And it is now up for renewal.

The bombing range is used for war games. The secret Area 51 testing base is located within the range.

The Air Force, Gibbons said, was "very concerned" about the cost of getting Congress to renew the withdrawal of the lands periodically. He said it costs anywhere from $10 million to $15 million for the reports and assessments that have to be made.

"That takes away dollars from readiness and training," of the Air Force, said Gibbons, a former member of the Nevada Air National Guard.

The Legislature passed a resolution supporting a conditional unlimited withdrawal of the land. The Legislature said it backed the lock-up of the lands, as long as the Air Force did not store nuclear waste on the property.

Gibbons pointed out the proposed nuclear dump is on land at the Nevada Test Site, which is run by the Department of Energy, not the Air Force.

The Legislature also asked that the Air Force provide reports every five years to determine if it is necessary to continue to operate the range and to assess any environmental damage. And it wanted the Air Force to look at allowing some of the land to be used by the public for other purposes.

There are about 25 mining districts within the Nellis range with reported deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, mercury tungsten and gravel. But access to these lands has been limited or prohibited since 1942 because of the Air Force activity.

The bill before Congress tells the Interior Department to work with Air Force officials to determine if any of the land would be suitable for mining.

The Interior Department, under the bill, would continue to manage all non-military land, including the Desert National Wildlife Range.