Amanda Sheahan
The Groom Mine, a privately held plot of land in Nevada Test and Training Range.
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015 | 4:19 p.m.
Arguing it has exhausted all options, the Air Force instructed the Department of Justice today to condemn the 400-acre Groom Mine owned by a Henderson family.
The parcel sits within the boundary of the Nevada Test and Training Range, top-secret land that includes Area 51.
A court will determine the amount of money the Air Force must pay the family for the property.
“The Air Force will pay just compensation for the claims as determined by the court based on evidence submitted by the parties,” Jennifer Miller, assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, said in a statement. “We are proceeding in a manner consistent with law that will strike an appropriate balance in protecting the rights of the landowners while recognizing the demands of national security and our obligations to be a good steward of public resources.”
Earlier today, the Sheahan family, which has owned the property since the 19th century, sent the Air Force an email requesting continued negotiations on what the Air Force maintained was its final offer of $5.2 million. The Air Force rejected the request.
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