Fallon Naval Air Station leadership announced last week the creation of an advisory board that was mandated by Congress in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed on January 3, 2021. Congress directed the Navy to work with all stakeholders to meet the requirements of the NDAA and address contentious issues brought on by the proposed plan to modernize the Fallon Range Training Complex (FRTC).
The board called the Intergovernmental Executive Committee (IEC) is designated as a leadership advisory panel of all the stakeholders that may be impacted by the proposed changes across Northern Nevada.
“This is a great way to move forward,” said Captain Evan Morrison, Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Fallon in the press release, “It’s a venue to bring everyone to the table to work towards an acceptable outcome. The Navy is pleased to work together with our local, state, federal, and tribal partners.”
Although the FRTC was not approved in the NDAA, that legislation did renew the existing public land withdrawal in Northern Nevada that the Navy uses to train tactical aviators and Navy SEALs. The military training area, which includes bombing ranges, ground maneuver areas, an electronic warfare range, and 13,000 square miles of airspace, has not been updated since 1995. The NDAA did not include provisions from the Navy proposal, which would add just under 600,000 acres to the existing quarter of a million acres currently under military control. There are plans to resubmit the FRTC and according to the press release, it “still needs to be addressed by Congress.”
Because of advancements in aircraft and weapons systems, as well as the potential capabilities of threat countries, significant range improvements are needed to make the FRTC tactically acceptable for both air wing and SEAL special operations training.
While the 2021 NDAA did not include the Navy’s proposal, it did direct all of the stakeholders to keep working on the expansion.
Yvonne Mori, Acting Tribal Chairwoman of the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe, said, “We look forward to working with the IEC to ensure proper care and management of the precious natural and cultural resources that are on the existing base.”
The establishment of the committee, mandated by the NDAA legislation, is tasked to both the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior. Initial coordination is being done by NAS Fallon, but the Navy is only a small part of the advisory board membership. The members include government entities such as the Bureau of Land Management, the State of Nevada (specifically, the NV Department of Environmental Protection, the NV Department of Natural Resources, and the state Department of Wildlife), the counties that the FRTC touches (Churchill, Lyon, Pershing, Mineral, and Nye), and Tribal Council representatives from the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone, Walker River Paiute, Pyramid Lake Paiute, Yomba Shoshone, Lovelock Paiute and other northern Nevada tribes as per congressional legislation.
The committee will facilitate the exchange of ideas regarding natural and cultural resources, and work to balance the Navy’s training requirements (and the safety buffers that will protect the public) with multiple use access to public lands in Northern Nevada.
According to Churchill County Commission Chairman Pete Olsen, who reported at the April 1 County Commission meeting, he attended virtually, the organizational meeting of the IEC held March 18, and led by Morrison. Olsen said the meeting was attended by representatives of nine tribes, the Bureau of Land Management, and State Natural Resources. “There was a lot of bantering about who would take Chair and Vice-Chair, but the Navy took great pains to make sure that everyone knew it was advisory in nature only, so we’ll see where this committee goes,” he said.
The first public meeting of the IEC is set for April 20, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. This meeting will focus mainly on setting up the charter of the committee, electing a Chair and Vice-Chair, and outlining any Memorandums of Understanding that will allow the advisory board to operate. The meeting will be conducted in accordance with the Nevada open meeting law (NRS-241) and will be streamed over Zoom to accommodate broad involvement. To find more information on the upcoming meeting, please go to www.FRTCModernization.com/IEC.
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