The Senate defeated Sen. Richard Burr’s amendment to prohibit the Navy from building its outlying landing field on two potential sites in Gates and Camden counties.
The amendment, co-sponsored by Sen. Kay Hagan, went down on a voice vote in a nearly empty chamber, reports Barb Barrett. It would have been attached to the defense authorization bill now being debated.
Because both the Senate Armed Services Committee’s ranking member, Sen. John McCain, and chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, opposed the amendment, it had little chance.
Still, Burr said in his remarks that he wanted to raise the issue of how important it is for the military to consider community concerns in locating training grounds.
Similar language survived the House of Representatives’ version of the bill earlier this summer.
And Burr said on the floor he hopes that the Gates and Camden counties’ sites will be protected when the House and Senate conference committee convenes to work out a final defense bill.
Coming up: excerpts from the remarks by Burr, McCain and Levin.
Comments
Re: Senate defeats OLF amendment
July 24, 2009 - 6:13am — GiggleBoxPembroke, Burr says the OLF estimates 52 jobs. Whether 10 or 52, the folks in Camden and Gates don't seem to want it in spite of your rosy assessment of the boon to the strip club industry.
I can understand why, given they share the lowest unemployment in the state with most of the outerbanks and have a combined population of under 15,000.
Why would 15,000 people want 30,000 square acres of their private land taken by the federal government in return for 30,000 square acres of pavement and a sonic boom reserve?
If you think it's such a boon to the local economy Pembroke, may I suggest carving out half of Robeson county for it? Your unemployment is twice theirs, and you have the population to support all the new pawn shops.
In actuality, the base should be in NC, but closer to a population center like Rocky Mount that can support it, which also moves it more inland away from the fragile outerbanks. Edgecomb County's unemployment is epic, plus that's literally halfway between Oceana and Cherry Point.
Re: Senate defeats OLF amendment
July 23, 2009 - 7:52pm — pembrokereply an OLF if you know anthing about them will provide many more than ten jobs, lets start with operations, tower employees, a crash crew, a fire dept, administration, food and other services for employees, field crew fueling people a medical dispensary etc not to mention the military stationed there going into town to shop, eat, entertainment etc plus off base housing for military you are not informed
Re: Senate defeats OLF amendment
July 23, 2009 - 5:12pm — adbailey78The OLF would produce as few as ten jobs, while causing tens of thousands of acres of productive farmland to be condemned. That farmland produces employment as well. Still sound like a good trade?
Re: Senate defeats OLF amendment
July 23, 2009 - 4:11pm — pembrokeI would think that with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country building and operating an OLF would be a boost to most communities but I guess our ten cent millionaires are not concerned. They sure tried hard enough to get a garbage dump, but a landing field for military training and national defense not an option.