Political Quotes

“I thank the junior Senator for the question. To begin, as before, it is important to understand the larger history in this area of Nevada before one can reasonably understand the magnitude of historical issues at play. The military's history in Fallon dates back to 1942 when the Civil Aviation Administration and Army Corps of Aviation began construction of an airfield as part of the Western Defense Program. The Navy assumed control in 1943, and the following year, Naval Auxiliary Air Station Fallon was commissioned. In the early 1950s, additional training ranges were established under Public Land Order 898 which withdrew 56,011 acres of public land for military use. In 1986--P.L. 99-606--and 1999--P.L. 106-65--Congress enacted legislation on this general subject by withdrawing additional public lands for military activities. The law passed in 1999 was especially noteworthy. This law represented a major change to the local customs, culture, and economy because it withdrew approximately 201,933 acres of land for military use for 20 years. The Fallon Range Training Complex now encompasses more than 230,000 acres of public land because of numerous map revisions and land surveys by the BLM since 1999. These land withdrawals, which took effect on November 6, 2001, expire on November 5, 2021, absent congressional reauthorization.…”