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I am Dennis Bechtel, Planning Coordinator for the Clark County Department 

 of Comprehensive Planning in Las Vegas, Nevada. I appreciate the oppor- 

 tunity to testify this morning on two bills of importance to the citizens 

 of Clark County and southern Nevada. 



Senate Bill 854, "The Nevada/Florida Land Exchange Authorization Act of 

 1987," proposes the exchange of land in the states of Nevada and Florida 

 for the Aerojet General testing facility. Senate Bill 59, introduced by 

 Senator Hecht and its House equivalent H.R. 267, introduced by Represen- 

 tative Vucanovich of Nevada, and both known as the "National Forest and 

 Public Lands of Nevada Enhancement Act of 1987", proposes the transfer of 

 land between the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service in 

 Nevada to further protect areas of scenic beauty. 



Clark County, which encompasses the city of Las Vegas, includes a portion 

 of the Aerojet General test facility proposed in S. 854 and many of the 

 administrative offices which will be located in metropolitan Las Vegas. 

 With regard to S. 59/H.R. 267, land adjacent to Mt. Charleston, some 40 

 miles from Las Vegas and an important recreational resource currently under 

 control of the Bureau of Land Management is being considered for transfer 

 to the Forest Service. 



Among the responsibilities of the Department of Comprehensive Planning is 

 the evaluation of the potential impact of projects such as the proposed 

 Aerojet facility on our local environment and citizens. Staff has sub- 

 sequently examined the potential consequences of the proposed bills on our 

 area of governmental responsibility and have the following comments. 



