Cortez Masto Secures Commitment from Air Force to Finish Land Transfer to West Wendover

Process of Transferring Land from Air Force to West Wendover Began in 2003, Ongoing for 23 Years

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) wrote a letter to U.S. Department of the Air Force (DAF) Secretary Troy Meink, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Stevan Pearce, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Lt. General William Graham calling for the three agencies to take the necessary steps in order to finish transferring land to the City of West Wendover. Initiated in 2003 by the National Defense Authorization Act, the DAF has been working to convey approximately 6,200 acres of land from the former Wendover Air Force Base Auxiliary Field to the city.

"The City of West Wendover has awaited this conveyance for over 23 years. The transfer of these lands is importantly vital for the City's ability to implement its plans to bring new business and industry to the area," wrote Senator Cortez Masto. "I am respectfully requesting the DAF, USACE, and BLM to coordinate efforts and work together to complete this land conveyance as promptly and expeditiously as possible."

Air Force officials recently confirmed to the Senator's office the agency's commitment to fund the remaining environmental clean-up work necessary in order for the land to finally be conveyed to the city.

Read the full letter here.

Senator Cortez Masto has worked across the board to strengthen and diversify Nevada's economy, protect Nevada's public lands, and plan for responsible growth. Cortez Masto helped pass vital legislation to create thousands of new jobs in Las Vegas at the Apex Industrial Park as well as legislation to dramatically improve the reliability of Las Vegas's water system and protect residents from outages, while safeguarding ecosystems in Sloan Canyon. She has fought against misguided proposals to allow the indiscriminate sale of public lands to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Cortez Masto has consistently pushed for the passage of her Southern Nevada Lands bill and successfully expanded the Navy's Fallon Range Training Complex. The Senator recently re-introduced her Douglas County Lands Bill.

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