No plans in works to expand air station

Thursday, Oct. 24, 2002 | 9:46 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Despite a possibility of war, Navy Secretary Gordon England said there are no plans to expand Fallon Naval Air Station.

England met with Gov. Kenny Guinn in Carson City Wednesday and then toured the air station before flying to San Diego.

England told reporters there would be no increase in the regularly scheduled flight training for naval aviators and no plans to expand the air corridors they use.

"The Navy is a fully deployed force," he said.

Guinn praised the Navy for its help in working to track down the cause of the cancer cluster among children in Fallon. He called them a "great partner" with the state and added the Navy has allocated $6 million toward construction of a water treatment system in Fallon to remove the excess arsenic in the water.

Randall Todd, chief of the state Bureau of Disease Control and Intervention, said state officials are waiting for the results from two tests by the federal government on the health issue.

England said there was no evidence so far to suggest that jet fuel has caused this problem.

Guinn said the Navy contributes about $28 million to the economy and has about 250 contracts with local and state businesses.

About 55,000 pilots and support personnel are trained annually at Fallon.