Legislation Passes Senate on Arizona Military Range

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX A bill has passed the Senate to help protect an Arizona military range that serves as the United States Army's sole radio and electronic testing site. Senate Bill 1387 requires cities, towns or counties to notify Ft. Huachuca base commanders when they receive an application to alter property in the military electronics range. "This is the only site of this kind in the country, and it is vital to national security and our war on terrorism that we balance private property rights with the ability of the base to preserve their mission, " said Senate President Tim Bee, R-Tucson. Fort Huachuca has a unique geographical topography that provides an environment free from radio interference for military testing of electronic signals, unmanned aerial systems and intelligence and electronic warfare training. The only comparable site in the world is in Australia. The legislation creates a mechanism allowing the base to work cooperatively with people who apply to rezone, build on or subdivide property within the military electronics range. The bill now moves to the House.