Base-Closure Plan Survives Challenge

The 1995 round of military base closures became official Friday when the House overwhelmingly rejected a last-ditch effort by some Californians and Texans to spare their local bases by scrapping the entire list.

The dissenting lawmakers - who included Democrats and Republicans representing areas near the doomed bases - acknowledged that their effort to reject the list was a long shot, but they pressed ahead to point out the inequities and faulty judgments they said marred this round.

With the 343-75 vote supporting the commission’s recommendations, the military now has two years from July 13, when President Clinton endorsed the list, to start closing bases. Within six years, it must complete the closures.