BATTLE MOUNTAIN - A little-known federal regulation could either cost Lander County millions over the next 10 years or impede the Bureau of Land Management's firefighting efforts.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may reduce its future funding for maintenance to the Battle Mountain Airport that is critical for the BLM's large firefighting bombers, said J.D. Heithoff, senior airport engineer for J-U-B Engineers, the company charged with overseeing Lander County's airport projects.
Under the regulations of the General Accounting Office of the U.S. government, one government agency cannot fund a project that would benefit another government agency and the FAA largely funds the maintenance of the Battle Mountain Airport.
Part of that maintenance involves upholding the width and the structure of the runways, taxiways and aprons at a level that would accommodate the airports heavier and wider aircraft. The largest and heaviest aircraft that use the Battle Mountain Airport are the BLM's heavy firefighting bombers.
Essentially, by funding airport projects that are designed to accommodate the BLM aircraft, the FAA is helping to fund the BLM, the FAA told Heithoff.
The decision will not have any impact on the BLM's firefighting this year but the county or the BLM could be affected a few years from now when it becomes time for airport maintenance, Heithoff explained.
Currently, the FAA funds 93.75 percent of the airport maintenance and upgrades, Heithoff said.
Lander County commissioners at their April 24 meeting directed Heithoff to work with Lander County Engineer Mark Brethauer and County Executive Director Jim Olson to draft a letter to send to the FAA asking them to reconsider the stance that could cost the county millions should the county choose to maintain the airport for heavy bombers.
The other option is for the BLM's heavy bombers to take off and land elsewhere, a move that could put northern Nevadans, and residents in neighboring states, in jeopardy come wildfire season.
Winnemucca District Fire Management Officer Mike Fettic said if the Battle Mountain Airport couldn't handle the big fire planes, the next closest staging location would be Stead Airport north of Reno, adding significant response time for northern Nevada fires.
Lander County will be seeking the BLM's support in persuading the FAA to continue maintaining the airport at a heavy aircraft level.
Heithoff said there is a fair chance the FAA may reconsider since the administration of the Battle Mountain Airport was just moved from the agency's San Francisco office to its Phoenix office. Heithoff said the county is now dealing with a whole new set of people who may view the issue differently.
"We are trying to work with the FAA on this important topic and we want to maintain a friendly relationship," Heithoff said. "The FAA has been very gracious over the past several years and they have paid for millions of dollars of projects at the Battle Mountain and Austin airports. Lander County greatly appreciates this and they appreciate that the FAA is currently paying for a couple of key projects at those airports."
He continued, "Lander County wants to maintain that positive relationship and hopes to work out a solution that is agreeable to all sides so that the Bureau of Land Management can continue operations out of Battle Mountain."
The decision will not kick in until 2015 so the county has time left to try and resolve the issue but it needs to be settled quickly because the longer it sits out there, the more difficult it will be to overturn the decision, Heithoff said.
Ian Gregor, public affairs manager for the FAA Pacific Division, wanted to make it clear that the airport would still be eligible for funds that would maintain the airport for use by the predominant category of civilian aircraft.
The BLM considers the airport in Battle Mountain to be a valuable asset in its firefighting capabilities, said Doug Furtado, BLM Battle Mountain Office district manager.
"The BLM has maintained an air tanker base in Battle Mountain since 1978, capable of landing all sizes of air tankers, from single engine air tankers (SEATs) to large air tankers such as the Neptune P2V and Orion P3A," he said. "We look forward to continuing to serve the next generation of air tankers, such as the BAE-146, C-130, MD87, etc."
The BLM's Battle Mountain air tanker base has served not only Lander County, but the whole of northern Nevada and beyond, he added. It not only utilizes air tankers, but also helicopters and small fixed-wing aircraft, in both fire and non-fire operations.
Currently, the BLM assists with maintenance costs by paying landing fees, which are assessed per each landing by air tankers, following the terms of our lease agreement with Lander County, Furtado said.
"If the BLM can no longer operate out of the Battle Mountain Airport, this will negatively impact our firefighting capabilities by increasing the response time for aircraft to fire incidents and decreasing the amount of retardant that can be delivered to fires in the area, therefore utilizing SEATs instead of large air tankers and having farther to go to refill the air tankers," Furtado said. "This will potentially result in larger fires in this area."
He continued, "BLM is committed to protecting the public lands in Lander County and surrounding areas through a continued presence at the Battle Mountain Airport. In addition, the BLM encourages sending a letter to the FAA in support of continued operations at the Battle Mountain Airport."
Furtado said he feels it is important to emphasize this discussion is between the FAA and the county. The BLM has a lease with the county for use of the airport, he added.
Heather Hill can be contacted at h.hill@winnemuccapublishing.net.[[In-content Ad]]Winnemucca District Fire Management Officer Mike Fettic said if the Battle Mountain Airport couldn't handle the big fire planes, the next closest staging location would be Stead Airport north of Reno, adding significant response time for northern Nevada fires.
Lander County will be seeking the BLM's support in persuading the FAA to continue maintaining the airport at a heavy aircraft level.
