Amodei bill would expand Naval Air Station Fallon
WASHINGTON — Public lands legislation that would expand testing grounds for Naval Air Station Fallon in central Nevada would also include conservation components and wilderness protections, Rep. Mark Amodei said Thursday.
Still, the sweeping legislation cobbled together with the input of Nevada counties and communities faces opposition from Native American tribes and environmental groups who have called the bill a “public lands giveaway.”
Amodei, a Republican who filed the bill, said there are also critics who complain there is too much conservation protection in the bill.
Amodei said former Sen. Harry Reid, D-nev., “always used to say any lands bill needs to have a conservation element, and he was right.”
“This is the strongest conservation element in Nevada history,” Amodei told Nevada reporters in a teleconference.
The Northern Nevada Economic Development, Conservation and Military Modernization Act of 2020 would expand military use of lands near the Fallon station, home of the
Navy’s elite “Top Gun” fighter weapons school with roughly 3,000 active duty and civilian personnel.
The Navy is seeking the expansion of 600,000 acres to accommodate technologically advanced weapons and to ensure safety during training exercises, Amodei said. Amodei said issues must still be resolved with area tribes who are currently opposed to the expansion proposal.
Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@ reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.