Bill > S1309

This bill, the Military Land Withdrawals Act, withdraws and reserves specific public lands for military use, ensuring their continued availability for defense-related activities. It designates lands at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California, the Limestone Hills Training Area in Montana, and the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range in California for these purposes. The bill also establishes a framework for managing these withdrawn lands, outlining responsibilities for both the Secretary of the Interior and the relevant military secretaries (Army and Navy). Key provisions include requirements for ongoing decontamination of lands affected by defense activities, restrictions on public access to ensure safety and operational security, and procedures for authorizing non-defense-related uses when they do not interfere with military operations. Furthermore, the bill addresses water rights, hunting and fishing regulations, and the process for extending or renewing these withdrawals, emphasizing that such extensions require new congressional action. It also includes provisions for the relinquishment of contaminated lands and mandates that the military secretaries maintain programs to clean up contamination caused by defense-related uses.