 |
| Wilson: House Passes Military Construction Funds for Kirtland Air Force Base |
July 23, 2004 |
| |
| $9.2 Million for New Facility
Washington, DC - Congresswoman Heather Wilson welcomed House passage of one of her priorities for this year – a $9.2 million military construction project for Kirtland Air Force Base.
The Military Construction Appropriations bill, passed 420-1, sets aside $9.2 million for military construction of a Corrosion Control Facility at KAFB. The project was not in the President’s budget, but is a high priority for the base as it prepares for the CV-22 tiltwing aircraft.
The Wilson-requested project started in the House Armed Services Committee, where Wilson serves. It received an initial stamp of approval from the full House of Representatives in May when it passed as part of the Defense Authorization bill, crafted in Wilson’s committee.
“Military construction at Kirtland Air Force Base creates jobs and keeps the base in good shape,” Wilson said.
Wilson continues to work to strengthen the value of Kirtland Air Force Base to the U.S. Air Force. The next round of Base Realignment and Closure, which Wilson strongly opposes, is scheduled for 2005.
KAFB’s new modern corrosion control/painting facility will support current operations and the bed-down of the CV-22 Osprey. The facility will also include an aircraft paint bay, a support equipment preparation bay and paint booth, a paint mixing room, a composite repair room and a plastic media blasting room.
In the six years since she was elected to Congress, Wilson has made infrastructure improvements at Kirtland a priority to better prepare for the Defense Department’s Base Realignment and Closure plans. Congress has added over $100 million in military construction projects at Kirtland in the past six years, in addition to authorizing $173 million of private investment in housing at the base.
“Combined with Sandia’s MESA project, Kirtland is one of the largest construction sites in the Air Force,” Wilson said. “When the Pentagon makes recommendations about what real estate to keep and what to close, we want Kirtland to be a ‘keeper.’”
-END- |
|
|
|