By Neil Torquiano Channel 2 News KTUU

4:09 p.m. AKST, November 30, 2012
ANCHORAGE, Alaska—

Alaska’s D.C.  Delegation, including Rep. Don Young and Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski, has voiced their concerns again over the proposal to move the F-16 squadron from Fairbanks to Anchorage with a letter to the Air Force’s top brass at the Pentagon.

In the letter, the delegation echoes the concerns that Governor Sean Parnell made earlier this month to the Air Force, since the military announced its plan to move forward with an Environmental Impact Statement.

Parnell requested an extension of the public comment to 60 days and asked that multiple public scoping meetings be held and one public hearing be held in the affected communities near the bases in Anchorage and North Pole, including the Mat-Su Valley.

To read the full letter addressed to General Mark Welsh, Air Force chief of staff, and Michael Donley, secretary of the Air Force, click here.

The D.C. delegation said that military personnel and families may try to move outside of Anchorage and “seek accommodations in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley taxing roads and creating undue burdens on already crowded schools.”

On Friday morning, Senator Murkowski also delivered a Senate floor speech pushing for an amendment that would study the “unique” benefits offered by Eielson.

A report released by the Air Force earlier this year estimates that more than $200 million in savings over five years by moving the 18th Aggressor Squadron to Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson.

Back in June, the Air Force said that it would hold off any relocation plans until Congress completed passed its 2013 authorization and appropriations bill.


Contact Neil Torquiano