Nearly $8 Million Secured For Fairchild

Wed., June 28, 2000

From Staff

U.S. Senator Patty Murray announced Tuesday that $7.8 million had been secured for military construction projects at Fairchild Air Force Base.

The Military Construction Appropriations bill provides more than $145 million to Washington defense installations overall, according to Murray’s office. Murray is the senior Democrat on the Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee.

Fairchild will receive $5.8 million to build a training facility at White Bluffs Satellite Tracking Station where pilots and crews can work on techniques for evasion and escape if shot down or captured. Training for rescue missions would occur also.

Also included is $2 million for runway centerline lights. Annually, an average of 24 flights are diverted and 35 flights canceled due to fog. The runway lights are expected to reduce diverted flights by 50 percent and reduce canceled or delayed flights by 90 percent.

The funds were finalized Tuesday in the joint House and Senate Appropriations Conference Committee. According to Murray’s office, the conference report will be sent to President Clinton, who is expected to sign it into law by the end of next week.

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