SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Federal officials have identified 700,000 acres in western Utah that can be temporarily closed to test military weapons including so-called “hypersonic” missiles traveling faster than the speed of sound.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the Air Force and Bureau of Land Management have reached an agreement on using the public land and how it can be closed to the public during tests.
Two of the zones run alongside Interstate 80 near the Nevada border, but the commander of the Utah Test and Training Range, Col. James Frickel, says the highway won’t be impacted.
The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act allowed for the land to be closed at times for weapons testing.
The government agencies are accepting public comments on the proposed closure process until May 9.
