When the U.S. Air Force told residents of northern
New Mexico that it was considering their blue skies for a new
bombing range for B-52s and B-1s, it galvanized local defenses. “In
northern New Mexico, with our high level of poverty, the only
assets are beauty and tranquility,” says Cliff Bain, who has
organized a coalition of Taos residents in opposition. “Bombing six
days a week, after 10 p.m. 20 percent of the time, will destroy
these assets.” The Western Environmental Law Center also opposes
the flights, which will be as low as 300 feet from the ground. The
center has formed a coalition with some local and tribal
governments, and says it will sue the Air Force for its piecemeal
approach to expanding air training (HCN, 4/13/98).
The Air Force says budget cuts force it to cut
training expenses, and a new range closer to bases in Texas and
Louisiana would decrease the cost of transporting bombers. Also,
training spaces created in the “50s and “60s are inadequate for
modern weapons capabilities, says Lieutenant Keith Shepherd.
Public hearings will be held when the draft
environmental impact statement is completed in November. Contact
Jim Robertson, RBTI EIS – c/o 7th CES/CEV, 710 3rd Street, Dyess
AFB, TX 79607-1670 (915/696-2899), Cliff Bain at P.O. Box 297,
Arroyo Hondo, NM 87513 (505/776-8486) or Vicky Minor at the Western
Environmental Law Center, P.O. Box 1507, Taos, NM 87571
(505/751-0351).
*Taffeta
Elliott
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Bombers battled from the ground.
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