Assembly wants to tell federal government to back off Nellis

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Tuesday, Feb. 23, 1999 | 8:19 a.m.

The lower house voted 30-10 for AJR1, which advocates that the withdrawal be limited to 15 years.

The Air Force now has control of the land for 15 years under the Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1986, and wants Congress to extend the withdrawal for 25 years or indefinitely.

The bombing and gunnery range extends northwest from the base in North Las Vegas into Nye and Lincoln counties. The land includes the proposed nuclear repository site at Yucca Mountain and the classified military base at Groom Lake known as Area 51.

Without the resolution, "we will have conceded to the nation that Yucca Mountain is a permanent waste depository," Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doug Bache, D-Las Vegas, told the Assembly.