Negotiations continue this week in the legislative process one Navy staffer calls the “sausage making” that goes into the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act and along with it the potential expansion of the Fallon Range Training Complex.
Last week Congressman Mark Amodei’s amendment to the NDAA did not make it out of the Rules Committee, setting the stage for the Nevada Senate delegation to carry the Navy’s water.
A spokesperson for Senator Cortez Masto said, “The Senator is continuing to engage with the Administration, Senate Armed Services Committee, Congressional leadership, and all local stakeholders on the Navy’s expansion proposal to ensure that any expansion to the Fallon Range Training Complex includes input from all impacted stakeholders.”
The Range Expansion proposal has been in the works for several years, with the Navy applying to the Bureau of Land Management in July of 2016 requesting that Congress expand the area currently withdrawn and reserved for military purposes at the Fallon Range. The 2016 application proposed withdrawing 678,670 acres of public land near the training complex.
“It’s absolutely been transparent, it’s been years,” said Amodei, “If you’re trying to do a good job on the policy you’ve got to try to keep the pot right for national defense training, SEALS, and Navy Aviators. You’ve got to try to keep the pot right for cultural resources. You’ve got to keep the pot right for economic development. You’ve got a reparation matter over the hill in Schurz, and other lands-related bills related to issues around Northern Nevada. Let’s get it moving because we can’t wait to train.”
In 2020, the 2021 NDAA renewed the existing Navy lease of 234,124 acres for 25 years.
Amodei said the process is “as far down the road as it’s ever been, and it’s been a long way down the road. The Schurz people are represented in DC with lobbyists, this could be a quantum game changer. There are some economic development pieces, some cultural pieces, the Fallon folks, some significant economic development stuff, and probably, what would be for sure in the DOD, but maybe in the federal government elsewhere, a cultural resource program ongoing for the Great Basin.”
In April, the Nevada congressional delegation sent a joint letter to the Office of Management and Budget, which is tasked with preparing the new legislative proposal for the 2023 NDAA bill. The letter outlines a unified position that the proposal must, “holistically solve for the problems posed by the Navy’s proposed expansion in order to earn our support.” The letter stated previous proposals by the Navy have not been satisfactory.
Stating that over the years the delegation has been working to reconcile the Navy’s proposal with stakeholders including the State of Nevada, local governments, ranching, mining, renewable energy, environmental, recreational, sportsmen, and tribal communities, the letter stated that any legislation expanding the FRTC footprint must address:
Compensation to the Walker River Paiute Tribe for historic land contamination by the Navy along with compensation and mitigation for affected mining claims, grazing allotments, and water rights. Avoidance of the Fallon National Wildlife Refuge, road improvements, and re-routes to maintain historic access must be addressed. Also refined withdrawal mapping to closely match surface and weapons danger zone mapping, protected public access to and multiple uses in Dixie Valley for the duration of the withdrawal. The checkerboard land ownership along the Union Pacific Railroad lines needs to be resolved. Wilderness designations and related wilderness study area releases, as well as conveyances to local units of governments, and new Tribal trust lands, including land protections for the Walker River Paiute Tribe and Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe need to be agreed on. The designation and protection of existing and proposed transportation, water, and utility corridors critical for renewable energy development, designation of national conservation areas or other appropriate conservation areas, managed access within the Bravo ranges, and exclusion of key cultural sites, including burial grounds from bombing range targets, need to be agreed upon. Expansion of the Intergovernmental Executive Committee and cooperation on cultural resources and protection for wildfire hazards resulting from the Navy expansion need to be agreed upon.
During the IEC meeting that was held in Fallon on July 11, 2022, Churchill County Commission Chairman, Pete Olsen went on record saying Churchill County supports NAS Fallon and hopes to remain the proud home of the base well into the future. However, in his statement, Olsen said, “To be clear, the county is opposed to the Navy’s current legislative proposal.”
According to his statement, the proposal does not contain key provisions the county needs to minimize and mitigate the impacts of the expansion. He did say the county supports the amendments offered by the Nevada Delegation. He also said the county was disappointed to “find out that the Navy conducted a legislative your last week that did not include the county.”
To date, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Secretary of the Navy, and Admiral Joyner of the Office of Legislative Affairs have all been in Fallon over the past six months meeting with the county, the Fallon Tribe, and the staff at NAS Fallon.
On July 12, 2022, the OMB issued a Statement of Administration Policy regarding the NDAA, saying “The Administration looks forward to continuing to work with Congress on DOD’s request to expand the FRTC to provide the area needed to fully accommodate modern military training requirements while upholding Tribal trust responsibilities and responsible management of public lands and the livelihoods of local communities.”
Communication with the Navy regarding the FRTC has been elevated to Washington D.C. U.S. Navy spokesperson LT Andrew Bertucci tells us, “The FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) directed the DON to work with stakeholders to develop a mutually agreeable modernization solution. Building on the five pages of mitigation commitments in the Navy’s 2020 Final EIS Record of Decision, the Navy has worked extensively with Tribes, the Nevada delegation, and state and county representatives to craft an FY23 legislative proposal to address military requirements and stakeholder concerns. The Navy continues to work with the Nevada delegation to include Fallon Range Training Complex modernization in the FY23 NDAA. There is no formal proposal to move the FRTC or its mission away from Fallon, NV.”
We will continue to update this story.
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