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LAYTON, Utah (AP) -- Military watchdogs and conservation groups say the Air Force is underestimating the noise and impact that a proposed expansion of the Utah Test and Training Range would have on nearby residents and wildlife.
The Air Force wants to practice combat operations over more of the bombing range using fighter planes from Hill Air Force Base in Layton.
The area, dubbed the White Elk Military Operating Area, is directly west of the current range.
The proposal was made a year ago, and a draft environmental impact statement has been issued. Thursday was the final day for public comments -- and critics had plenty to say.
There were different accounts about the expansion. The Air Force said the proposal would increase the training range's ground cover for flight operations by less than 2 percent.
But Steve Erickson, director of the Utah-based Citizens Education Project, said a larger amount of sky for combat operations would be opened -- 1,840 square miles by his count.
Air Force officials said one of the reasons for the expansion is to add more supersonic flights.
Pilots would be able to practice at lower elevations under the proposal.
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Information from: Standard-Examiner
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
