Energy Department seeks control of land near Yucca

Benjamin Grove

Sunday, Feb. 12, 2006 | 12:35 p.m.

The Pentagon wants to take a close look at an Energy Department proposal to take control of land near Yucca Mountain that is currently managed by the Air Force and other federal agencies.

Energy officials confirmed last week that legislation they are preparing to send to Congress would grant the agency control of 147,000 acres near Yucca Mountain. Of that land, 24,000 acres are managed by the Air Force, 45,000 acres by the Bureau of Land Management and 78,000 acres (of the Nevada Test Site) by the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Pentagon officials in recent years have been increasingly concerned about development encroaching on Nellis Air Force Base training and testing grounds. And Air Force officials in the past have expressed concern about Yucca waste-shipping routes limiting their training - so they are likely to raise an eyebrow at an Energy request to claim 24,000 acres of the Nellis range.

Energy Department officials aren't saying precisely which 147,000 acres they want, or whether the proposal would affect Nellis training. They won't even say if they have talked this over with the Air Force. It's premature to talk specifics, Energy spokesman Craig Stevens said.

Nellis, with 12,000 square miles of airspace northwest of Las Vegas, is one of the nation's top jet fighter training grounds, home to the Air Warfare Center and Red Flag combat training exercises. A Nellis spokesman referred questions to the Pentagon.

Pentagon Air Force spokeswoman Shirley Curry last week said she couldn't find an Air Force official familiar with the land withdrawal proposal.

"I think we would have to see something in writing in order to respond," Curry said. Her interest was piqued. "As soon as you get that information, I'd really like to see it."

Benjamin Grove can be reached at (202) 662-7436.