Court Upholds Navy Supersonic Zone

Navy Secretary John Lehman was within his rights when he designated a 5,500-square-mile area of north-central Nevada as a “supersonic operations area,” a federal judge ruled.

The Sierra Club and the Nevada Outdoor Recreation Assn. filed suit in U.S. District Court last year charging that Lehman exceeded his authority when he designated the area east of Fallon Naval Air Station for supersonic training. The affected area begins at an altitude of 11,000 feet and rises to 58,000 feet.

The announcement touched off widespread criticism from state officials and local residents worried about the impact of repeated daily sonic booms on their rural life styles. Since then, the Navy has been negotiating with many residents in an attempt to purchase their land.

The environmental groups argued that federal law allows only the secretary of transportation, through the Federal Aviation Administration, to make such designations.

U.S. District Judge Edward C. Reed Jr. noted that the FAA had already designated the affected area as a military operations area before Lehman’s decision.

Reed’s ruling affirmed a decision by U.S. Magistrate Phyllis Halsey Atkins last March.