Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced the inclusion of 25 year status quo extensions for both the Nevada Test and Training Range and the Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon in final conference version of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Senator Cortez Masto worked over the past year with key Nevada stakeholders, the Air Force and the Navy, and her colleagues in the Senate to secure this extension. This decision will allow Nevada’s service members to continue their vital training missions that the unique training spaces in Nevada provide, while securing more time to discuss the future of the training ranges and the needs of Nevadans.
Earlier this year, as Navy and Air Force leadership called for a dramatic expansion of both the Nevada Test and Training Range and NAS Fallon, Senator Cortez Masto released alternative legislation to prompt discussions around a compromise and prevent an expansion without protections for tribal resources, conservation, outdoor recreation and public access, farming and ranching, and other mitigations for impacted local, county and tribal governments. The Senator looks forward to greater engagement from the incoming Biden Administration in order to find reasonable paths forward that provide for both our national security needs and the well-being of impacted communities.
“I’ve always supported the status-quo extension of the U.S. military’s presence at the Nevada Test and Training Range and NAS Fallon, and I’m glad to see this resolution included in the FY2021 NDAA. It’s vital that we support our military, as well as our local economies, while also preserving our public lands and sacred tribal sites across Nevada. That’s why I’ve advocated for the status-quo when possible, and for commonsense alternatives when it is not. I’m thankful for the sustained engagement of the stakeholders across the state and will continue to put Nevadans first. Any future decisions regarding our military bases and public lands must be inclusive of the needs of a diverse, comprehensive group of local stakeholders.”
BACKGROUND:
The National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 will include:
- Status-quo extensions for the next 25 years for the Nevada Test and Training Range and the Naval Air Station Fallon, providing for continued military operations and training exercises in Southern and Northern Nevada.
- Creation of Intergovernmental Executive Committees (IEC) at both the Nevada Test and Training Range and the Naval Air Station Fallon. These committees will allow local, state and tribal governments a public forum to collaborate with the military in providing advice and exchanging information on the management of natural and cultural resources within the public lands used for military purposes.
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