Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 4351 - Withdrawal of the Navy Bravo-20 Bombing Range

(House)
(Rep. Vucanovich (R) Nevada and Bentley (R) Maryland)

The Administration supports House passage of H.R. 4351, which would allow the Air Force and Navy to continue to have exclusive use of nearly three million acres of Federal land in Nevada for weapons testing purposes, but will seek amendments in the Senate to (1) delete the unnecessary provisions stipulating special environmental studies and (2) extend the term of the bill from 10 to 20 years, consistent with other military land withdrawal bills now pending in Congress.

The Administration believes that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and current Council on Environmental Quality regulations are adequate to ensure protection of the environmental resources affected by military activities at the Range, and opposes any special statutory provisions to implement NEPA or exempt studies from the NEPA process, as H.R. 4351 would do.