38 



TBSTIMONY BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE OK 



ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES 



SUBCOMMTrTBE ON PUBUC LANDS, NATIONAL PARKS AND FORESTS 



Jun« SO, 1987 



8,854} Nevada-Florida Land Exehanje Authorization Act of 1987 



Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, the State of Nevada appreciates the 

 opportunity to enter teatimony on S. 854, the Nevada-Florida Land Exchange Author- 

 ization Act of 1987. 



Aerojet-Oaneral Corporation has suggested the acquisition of land needed for a 

 new Industrial faeOlty In Nevada through the exchange of Aerojet lands in Florida for 

 the desired site In Nevada. The Nevada site contains approximately 43,000 acres of 

 public land and is located in Coyote Spring Valley. The land is presently managed by 

 the Bureau of Land Managemot. 



Aerojet also wishes to enlarge its existing testing site in the Garfield Flat area 

 of Mineral County through the acquisition of approximately 8,900 acres in that area. 



As you are no doubt awara, Nevada's rural areas have sparse populations and 

 little private lands. Many rural communities are struggling economically. Possibilities 

 for economic developmsnt are sharply reduced due to the lack of private land. For 

 exampl^ most of the Coyote Spring site lies in Lincoln County. Lincoln County has 

 an area of 6J million acres, but leas than two percent of tMs land is In private 

 ownership. Lincoln County's population is about 4,000, for a population density of less 

 than one-half a person per square mile. Mineral County has a total area of 2.5 million 

 acres, of which only two and a half percent is in private ownership, and a population 

 of about 6,000, for a population density of about one and a half persons per square 

 mQe. 



