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NEWS FROM
SENATOR TIM JOHNSON,
SENATOR JOHN THUNE,
REPRESENTATIVE STEPHANIE HERSETH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 7, 2006

Contact: Julianne Fisher, 202-224-1638
Kyle Downey, 202-228-5939
Russ Levsen, 202-226-4449

Johnson, Thune and Herseth Continue to Fight for Ellsworth Call Center

-- Joint Letter Sent to Secretary of the Air Force --

WASHINGTON, DC-Senators Tim Johnson and John Thune, and Representative Stephanie Herseth today sent a letter to Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne expressing their strong support for the Air Force Financial Services Center (AFFSC) to be located at Ellsworth Air Force Base. The letter highlights some of the advantages to the Air Force of locating the AFFSC at Ellsworth. In particular, the delegation letter emphasizes the abundant labor pool currently available, as well as the fact that there are at least a dozen customer financial service or telemarketing companies prospering in the Black Hills region near Ellsworth.

"Ellsworth is an ideal candidate for the AFFSC mission, and it would benefit both the Air Force and the Black Hills. Ellsworth has received over $140 million in infrastructure improvements over the last ten years, and there's no place better to locate this mission. The delegation will continue to work to bring the AFFSC and other potential missions to Ellsworth," said Johnson.

"After having successfully gone through the BRAC process, it is apparent that Ellsworth is one of this nation's finest military bases and could accommodate additional missions," said Thune. "The AFFSC would be another mission at Ellsworth that would create good job opportunities for hundreds of families and individuals across the region. I will continue to work with the rest of the delegation to bring the AFFSC here to Ellsworth."

"It is clear that Ellsworth Air Force Base and the Black Hills region represent, together, a premier location for hosting the AFFSC. Not only is Ellsworth particularly well suited to host the mission, the region offers an unmatched labor pool and a proven tradition among financial service industry employers. Just as we made the case to remove Ellsworth from the BRAC closure list last year, the Delegation will continue to work together to make the case to improve Ellsworth's mission going forward," said Herseth.

A copy of the letter from Senators Johnson and Thune and Congresswoman Herseth is attached.