The Bureau of Land Management held a briefing and question and answer session Thursday telling Nevadans that plans to expand the Naval Air Station Fallon are on hold.
The Navy and BLM are proposing to simply extend the existing land withdrawals NAS Fallon has for another four years while Congress considers the request for a significant increase in withdrawn lands and tightens controls over access by the public and others.
BLM Carson City District Manager Ken Cullom said public access to the lands, mineral, geothermal and livestock leasing will continue under existing rules during that period. The current withdrawal consists of a total of 770,000 acres in Churchill, Lyon, Mineral and Nye counties, including Dixie Valley.
The extension of the existing land withdrawal would continue through August 2026.
The application to expand NAS Fallon’s control over Nevada lands has been forwarded by the secretary of the Navy to the secretary of the Interior but has not been reviewed by Congress or acted upon at this point.
Cullom said the application is now in the 90-day comment period that ends Jan. 10.
