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Resolution of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, supporting the efforts of the regional coalition to retain military base facilities in Allegheny County, and further, calling on the U.S. Department of Defense and the Base Realignment and Closure Commission to keep the 911th Airlift Wing, 99th Regional Readiness Center, and the 171st Air Refueling Wing open and operating.
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WHEREAS, the Pentagon is preparing to close up to a quarter of the nation's 425 bases and is expected to release a list of recommended closings by May 16th; the recommendations will then be provided to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission appointed by the President for review and further recommendations before being presented to the President by September 8th and then on to Congress for final approval; and
WHEREAS, urban encroachment on existing bases is considered to be a major drawback - a concern that doesn't exist in Allegheny County as the Allegheny County Airport Authority set aside land adjacent to the military bases near Pittsburgh International Airport to give the three installations headquartered there (the 171st Air Refueling Wing, the 911th Military Airlift Group, and the 99th Regional Readiness Command) additional land if needed; and
WHEREAS, a coalition of interested parties in this region have been working proactively to retain the military operations and services in Allegheny County; members include the Military Affairs Council of Western Pennsylvania, the Allegheny County Airport Authority, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, the Airport Area Chamber of Commerce, local veterans groups, the Chief Executive, and members of the Allegheny County Congressional Delegation including Congresswoman Hart and Congressmen Doyle, Murtha, and Murphy; and
WHEREAS, the presence of the three military operations and services in Allegheny County is of great value to this community as an economic engine for the region, pumping...
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