CONGRESSMAN COSTA RALLIES SUPPORTFOR LEMOORE NAVAL AIR STATION
FRESNO, CA - Today, Congressman Jim Costa (CA-20) led the effortto help retain the 20th District's Lemoore Naval Air Station;headquartered in Lemoore, California. Congressman Costa sent a letter to Secretary Rumsfeld stressing the necessaryand vital role Lemoore Naval Air Station plays not only in the Valley, but alsothroughout the state of California.
The text of the letter follows.
Dear Secretary Rumsfeld:
I urge that Lemoore Naval Air Station (NAS),located in Kings and Fresno Counties, California not be included in the2005 round of Base Realignment and Closure ("BRAC").
Lemoore NAS is the tenth largest military base inthe State of California. It is home to the Strike Fighter Wing U.S.Pacific Fleet, which provides combat ready strike fighter squadrons trained toconduct carrier-based, all weather, attack, fighter and support missions forthe Pacific Fleet. Presently, ten F/A-18fleet units are based at Lemoore NAS.
Additionally, Lemoore NASis home to the StrikeFighter WeaponsSchool. The mission of this installation is toprovide formal standardized graduate level training covering every aspect ofFA-18 weapons employment. This nationally important program helps theNavy to guarantee the combat readiness of the Strike Fighter Community byproviding training in mission planning, tactics, weapons systems and ordnancehandling to ensure every squadron is prepared to enter any combat contingencyand win.
Removal of Lemoore NASwould also have a devastating effect on the Central Valley. Lemoore NAS provides the local economy with5,364 military jobs and 799 civilian jobs. In 2003, KingsCounty had anunemployment rate of 14.3%. Additionally, 21.8% of the citizens of Fresno Countylived below the poverty level. Loss ofLemoore would be a critical blow to the region.
Lemoore is a criticalunderpinning to the local economy. Asyou know, President Bush issued Executive Order 13173 to create an InteragencyTask Force on the Economic
Development of the Central San Joaquin Valley. The Task Force was chartered to coordinatefederal agencies and resources to advance the economic development of the Central San Joaquin Valley. As an appointed member of that Task Force,you can appreciate the economic problems that this area faces, as the City of Fresno and its airportqualify both as Federal Empowerment Zones and California Enterprise Zones. The Central Valley receives $1900 less percapita than the rest of the UnitedStates in federal tax dollars returned tolocal communities.
In addition, Lemoore NASconducts joint training missions with Army and National Guard aircraft locatednearby. Loss of the Lemoore wouldundermine that ongoing joint training.
It should be noted that inthe previous four BRAC rounds, the Commission directed Lemoore to receive inthe 1991 and 1993 round. This basecontinues to enjoy no encroachment issues, and widespread local support.
Thank you for yourconsideration.
Sincerely,
Jim Costa
Member of Congress