No public lands transfers in Nevada included in defense bill

WASHINGTON — A House-Senate compromise version of the annual defense bill that authorizes $1 trillion in spending does not include military land transfers of public lands for the Air Force and Navy in Nevada.

The Air Force and Navy sought additional training space on public lands near the Nevada Test and Training Range north of Las Vegas and Naval Air Station Fallon in Northern Nevada.

Those military requests were opposed by tribal organizations, environmental groups and some communities, although counties in Northern Nevada and other communities wanted a compromise for the Air Force and Navy, which maintain installations that provide economic benefits.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., worked on legislative language endorsed by some Nevada counties and tribes, but opposed by other tribes and environmental groups.

Cortez Masto drafted compromise legislative language to Navy requests to expand training area in Northern Nevada, a move criticized by environmental groups. It became moot when House and Senate lawmakers agreed to keep training area at current levels.

She agreed with the decision.

“It’s vital that we support our military, as well as our local economies, while also preserving our public lands and tribal sites across Nevada,” Cortez Masto said in a statement.

“That’s why I’ve advocated for the status-quo when possible and for commonsense alternatives when it is not,” she said.

Environmental groups called it an outright victory for protection of millions of acres of public lands and tribal grounds, including the Desert National Wildlife Refuge north of Las Vegas and sensitive tribal grounds in central Nevada.

“This is a monumental victory for the public lands, wildlife and people of Nevada,” said Patrick Donnelly, state director of the Center for Biological Diversity, which lobbied lawmakers during a trip to Washington.

“We were told we had to cut a deal or risk losing everything,” Donnelly said in a statement. “Our public lands have been saved from military seizure.”

The victory, though, is considered a temporary win as the military presses to expand training for advanced fighter jets and facilities in states where development and growing populations encroach on land and airspace.

President Donald Trump also has threatened to veto the defense bill over unrelated measures that include renaming Army installations that honor confederate war heroes and a crackdown on social media sites and platforms that were critical of his administration and campaign.

Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.