Hearing Held on Legislation to Support China Lake
Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulations held a hearing on Congressman Kevin McCarthy's legislation H.R. 4458, the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake Security Enhancement Act that would permanently withdraw and reserve public land to support the operations of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California.
At the invitation of Congressman McCarthy, Kern County Supervisor (and former Commanding Officer of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake) Mick Gleason testified in support of this important piece of legislation.
Testimony of Congressman Kevin McCarthy
VIDEO:https://www.youtube.com/embed/CoFoJbNVgZo&feature=youtu.be
Thank you Mr. Chairman for holding this hearing today, and providing me the opportunity to testify in support of H.R. 4458, the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake Security Enhancement Act.
This bill is similar to legislation that I introduced last year, which was amended in the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act to renew China Lake's withdrawal for only 25 years. This bill would permanently withdraw the 1.1 million acres of BLM land that China Lake sits on to secure the Navy's premier research, development, acquisition, test and evaluation installation at China Lake.
It would also withdraw approximately 26,000 acres of additional Federal land for the base. This includes the Cuddeback Back Gunnery Range, a retired Air Force bombing range, as well as limited surrounding BLM land. The goal of this bill is simple - to match China Lake's fence line with its Military Restricted Airspace as much as possible. The last major range expansion at China Lake was over half a decade ago in the 1950's and since then, its mission has grown.
Adding Cuddeback and surrounding BLM land to China Lake are essential to meeting the base's test and evaluation requirements and supporting current and emerging Naval missions, including unmanned systems, miniature munitions, irregular warfare, and integrated warfighting capabilities. China Lake also needs to separate its manned from its unmanned platforms to avoid scheduling conflicts and safety concerns within its current airspace.
It should be noted that withdrawing Cuddeback and the surrounding BLM land will not diminish environmental protections to the Desert Tortoise or other species in the area. In fact, in 2010, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughhead China Lake on its environmental stewardship by awarding it the CNO Environmental Award for 2010, making China Lake a model for all other Naval installations. I would like to note that less than 5 percent of the existing land China Lake currently manages, is disturbed.
And if H.R. 4458 is enacted into law, for the newly acquired lands, China Lake advises me it would review and make the appropriate updates to the following documents:
1. The Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan, which already provides protections for Native American and other culturally significant sites on the base;
2. The Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan, which already provides protections for the Desert Tortoise and other species on the base; and;
3. The Comprehensive Land Use Management Plan, which governs all land use at China Lake, following public input and consultation with the Fish & Wildlife Service on protecting endangered or threatened species in the area.
Finally, my bill does not waive Section 7(a) of the Endangered Species Act that requires all Federal agencies, the Navy included, to avoid adverse modifications to Critical Habitat.
Because these protections remain in place, combined with the fact that China Lake does not plan to use munitions or dud-producing ordinance work in the newly acquired lands, it is reasonable to believe that the Desert Tortoise could be better protected allowing it to recover more quickly.
I have no doubt China Lake will manage its existing and newly acquired land under this bill consistent with its proven record of environmental stewardship. The men and women who work at China Lake have demonstrated that they can meet critical military requirements to ensure our warfighters can complete their mission and return home safely, while protecting the environment.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for allowing me to testify today. I urge support for my bill, and I yield back my time.
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Testimony of Kern County First District Supervisor Mick Gleason, USN Ret in support of HR 4458:
VIDEO:https://www.youtube.com/embed/2dGOOoipD64&feature=youtu.be
Good afternoon, committee members. I am Supervisor Mick Gleason from Kern County, California. Kern County is home to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, in the First Supervisorial District which I represent. I am also the retired commander of NAWS China Lake, so I bring that perspective to this issue. As someone who has worked very hard to carry out the critical national defense missions of the base, I want very much to see those missions continue to help protect our national security.
HR 4458 is vital to the mission at NAWS China Lake, because it would permanently withdraw public land that is currently used by China Lake, but administered by the BLM, for the Navy by September 30, 2015. The area to be withdrawn contains the Cuddeback Range and BLM lands in the southwest corner of China Lake's South Range.
NAWS China Lake and its test ranges may appear to be vast, but the number of missions carried out at the base are crowding that space. Many current and future mission requirements can be met if the land underlying the R2505 and R2524 airspace, also known as the Cuddeback Range, is withdrawn for military use.