203 



Senator Hecht. Congressman Bilbray, are you on a short time- 

 frame? We have one more on this panel. 



I can accommodate you now if you wish. 



Mr. Bilbray. Let them go ahead if they want to. I have a short 

 timeframe, like all of us. But let them conclude, and then I will 

 just give my statement to you. 



Senator Hecht. Are you all right for five minutes? 



Mr. Bilbray. Just fine. 



Senator Hecht. Okay, then. 



Well, no. Why don't you go on. Congressman. I know how it is 

 when those bells go off. You have to go ahead and vote. 



Mr. Bilbray. Well, I just voted. 



Senator Hecht. Okay, then. You won't have to rush. Your pre- 

 pared statement has been inserted in the record previously. 



STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES H. BILBRAY, A U.S. 

 REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE STATE OF NEVADA 



Mr. Bilbray. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



I appreciate this. I have statements to read in the record on both 

 of the proposals, S. 59 and S. 854. 



The first testimony that I will give is on S. 854, the Nevada-Flori- 

 da Land Exchange Authorization Act of 1987. 



Mr. Chairman and Members of this Committee, thank you for 

 the opportunity to enter testimony on S. 854, the Nevada-Florida 

 Land Exchange Authorization Act of 1987. 



This legislation would permit Aerojet General Corporation to ac- 

 quire 54,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management Land in Clark, 

 Lincoln, and Mineral Counties in Nevada by transferring to the 

 Department of Interior approximately 4,800 acres of Aerojet-owned 

 land contiguous to the Everglades. 



The Department of the Interior would, in turn, sell the Florida 

 land to the State of Florida and purchase environmentally-sensitive 

 lands in Florida with the funds. 



Aerojet General has indicated that the land located in Coyote 

 Springs Valley is needed for the construction of a new industrial 

 facility which would fabricate and test solid rocket motors. Ap- 

 proximately 43,000 acres are needed at the Coyote Springs Valley 

 site. 



As you know, Mr. Chairman, rural Nevada is sparsely populated 

 with few lands held in private ownership. Many of these rural com- 

 munities are facing difficult economic times, and because such a 

 large percentage of the land in the county is not privately owned, 

 development opportunities are limited. 



Let me say outside of my recorded testimony is the fact that I 

 chaired the Taxation Committee of the Nevada State Senate, and 

 one of our major problems in our State is the fact that so little 

 land is in private ownership, that we don't have a really stable tax 

 base for our citizens. The more land we can get into private owner- 

 ship, it is to the benefit of all of the people of the State of Nevada. 



Nevada, recognizing the dire consequences of this pattern should 

 economic hard times continue, has vigorously pursued a program of 

 economic development and diversification. This program can only 

 succeed if development of private lands is possible. 



