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POSITION STATEMENT OF THE DESERT TORTOISE COUNCIL 

 S. 854, "Nevada-Florida Land Exchange Authorization Act of 1987" 



prepared by the Desert Tortoise Council, June 7, 1987 



I. S. 854 IS SPECIAL LEGISLATION THAT WILL BENEFIT AEROJET AND A VERY 

 SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE IN NEVADA 



On March 26, Senator Chic Hecht stated that S. 854 allows everyone 

 to win--the National Wildlife Refuge System, the State of Florida, and 

 the State of Nevada (Congressional Record Vol. 133, No. 49). We do not 

 believe this. Senator Hecht should have mentioned that Aerojet General 

 cind Aerojet Nevada will be the real winners if this legislation is 

 passed. Taken in a much broader perspective, the people of the United 

 States will lose a large block of public land and, in turn, will gain a 

 very small piece of habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge system in 

 Florida. Another issue here is the appraised value of the Nevada public 

 land. We believe that the value of public land has been grossly 

 understated. 



II. THE PROPONENTS OF THE BILL SHOULD FOLLOW PROCEDURES PREVIOUSLY 

 ESTABLISHED BY THE FEDERAL LAND PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT ACT AND 

 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT 



Congress established a number of laws and acts for the protection 

 and wise management of public lands. The Nevada lands proposed for 

 exchange are public lands under the jurisdiction of the Department of 

 Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and should be subject to the 

 protection of the existing federal land planning laws and policies. S. 

 854 bypasses these safeguards. 



We believe that the BLM should complete its management framework or 

 coordinated resource management plans for these areas prior to any 

 discussions of land trades. If, during the planning process, the Bureau 

 of Land Management identifies lands appropriate for disposal, then 

 Aerojet could attempt to acquire these either at a fair market value or 

 through a land exchange supported by congressional legislation. An 

 Environmental Impact Statement should be prepared by experts . 



If Congress passes S. 854, then the door is opened for similar 

 legislation which would allow transfer of more public lands to special 

 interest groups. 



III. AEROJET GENERAL DOES NOT HAVE A GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL TRACK RECORD 



In 1985, Aerojet General was cited by the Environmental Protection 

 Agency for injecting hazardous wastes into a source of underground 

 drinking water in the Sacramento area. The Environmental Protection 

 Agency denied Aeroject permits for continued operation of injection 

 wells. In 1986, Aerojet General Corporation actively opposed the 

 California voters' initiative to control toxic wastes by contributing 



