House approves $16 million in construction at Nevada bases

Wednesday, May 17, 2000 | 10:11 a.m.

The new control hangar is needed at Fallon NAS to allow more efficient repainting of planes to control corrosion without violating environmental regulations, Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said.

The current inefficient facilities force the grounding of aircraft for unreasonable amounts of time, he said.

The bill also includes $5 million to replace fuel storage tanks and guard against fuel spills at Fallon NAS.

At Nellis, the $5 million is planned to build 26 new units of family housing. The current cinderblock housing built in the 1960s is very small and some units have no air-conditioning, Gibbons said.

"As a veteran, I know how critical it is that Nellis and Fallon have the resources necessary to maintain their edge and get their jobs done right," said Gibbons, who served in both the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars.

"This money will be used for facilities improvements to help ensure our men and women on the ground have the equipment they need and the housing improvements they deserve," he said.

The House approved the Military Construction Appropriation Act by a vote of 386-22 and sent it to the Senate.