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Wilson Hails Military Construction Funds for Kirtland Air Force Base |
July 09, 2004 |
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$9.2 Million for New Facility Marching through Congress
Washington, DC - Congresswoman Heather Wilson today said a $9.2 million military construction project for Kirtland Air Force Base continues to march through Congress.
The project is expected to be voted on as soon as next week in the full House, after passing the House Appropriations Committee today. The Military Construction Appropriations bill sets aside $9.2 million for military construction of a Corrosion Control Facility at KAFB, a project that was not in the President’s budget, but which is a high priority for the base as it prepares to accept the CV-22 tiltwing aircraft.
The Wilson-requested project started in the House Armed Services Committee, where Wilson serves. It already received a 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.
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.
“Military construction at Kirtland Air Force Base creates jobs and keeps the base in good shape,” Wilson said.
KAFB’s new modern corrosion control/painting facility will support current operations and the bed-down of the CV-22 Osprey. The facility will 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.’”
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