Bills help Fairchild helicopters

Thu., Sept. 20, 2007

From Staff Reports The Spokesman-Review

The Senate is proposing another roadblock to the Air Force’s plan to transfer Fairchild’s four rescue helicopters to other bases.

Tucked into the Defense Authorization bill, which the Senate is now debating, is an amendment that would force the Air Force to study the Northwest’s search and rescue capabilities to support the Air Force Survival School at Fairchild and the equipment necessary to help with other rescue operations in the region.

The Air Force would have to compile a report on those topics and present it to the Secretary of Defense and key congressional committees by next April before it could move the helicopters, according to the amendment drafted by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and co-sponsored by Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Larry Craig and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; and Ron Wyden, D-Ore. It passed on a voice vote this week.

A House version of the Defense Authorization bill also has restrictions on moving the helicopters, although the language is different.

A spokeswoman for Cantwell said the fact that both bills direct the Air Force to keep those aircraft at Fairchild makes it very likely that some requirement will be included in the final version of the defense bill.

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