Defense Communities 360 Headlines

The Navy is gathering support from 10 southern Maryland counties surrounding Patuxent River Naval Air Station to participate in an assessment of land uses that are compatible with the Navy test center. The joint land use study, which could begin in September, would cover the counties within range of testing conducted at Pax River and could factor into deliberations over upcoming BRAC rounds, reported Delmarvanow.com. The JLUS may include recommendations on whether wind turbines are a compatible land use in southern Maryland. A separate study is evaluating the impact on military radar of a proposed wind farm in Somerset County located across Chesapeake Bay from Pax River.

In an attempt to ensure the future of Fairchild Air Force Base, Spokane County commissioners last week approved new land use rule to protect the eastern Washington installation from urban development. The commissioners said the zoning code protections also could help the base attract the next generation of refueling tankers the Air Force is acquiring. The rules require noise insulation in new homes and notice to people who are considering moving into the defined military influence area with 65 decibels or more of jet noise …

Business alliances supporting Maryland’s military installations have played a variety of roles in recent years, working with local officials to accommodate BRAC growth, lobbying for new missions, sponsoring on-base improvements and helping to boost economic development. A primary function of the groups is helping contractors understand how to do business with installations, but the partnerships extend much further …

With bipartisan agreement in the Senate last week to adopt the discretionary spending limit from last August’s Budget Control Act, battle lines over fiscal 2013 appropriations are stark, if not all that far apart. While the Senate Appropriations Committee made plans to mark up the federal government’s 12 spending bills using a cap of $1.047 trillion, House appropriators next week are expected to allocate spending among the 12 appropriations bills using the lower, $1.028 trillion ceiling from the budget resolution drafted by Budget Chairman Paul Ryan …

President Obama designated almost 15,000 acres at the former Fort Ord on California’s Central Coast a national monument on Friday, permanently preserving much of the open space at the closed installation and providing a boost in tourism for the entire Monterey Bay region. “This national monument will not only protect one of the crown jewels of California’s coast, but will also honor the heroism and dedication of men and women who served our nation and fought in the major conflicts of the 20th century …

The Alaska legislature has sent a measure creating military facility zones that offer state and federal incentives for businesses that support Alaska’s military to Gov. Sean Parnell (R) for his signature. The bill is intended to help the state’s installations in a variety of ways. The legislation, for instance, would make low-cost loans or tax credits available to companies for projects that lower the operating cost of installations …

A ceremony last week at the former Charles Kelly Support Facility outside of Pittsburgh kicked off demolition of 10 dilapidated Army office buildings and barracks at the future site of a park for Collier Township. Reuse planning for the support facility started after it was designated for closure during the 2005 round of base closures. The township obtained 72 acres of the site for the park. A $150,000 grant from Allegheny County is covering much of the cost of demolition. Construction of a multipurpose field, tennis courts, dek hockey rink and playground is scheduled to begin after the demolition is complete, reported the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Most of the funds from a $6 million bond issuance will go toward the project.

An initiative spearheaded by Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear scored its first significant achievement with the enactment of state legislation providing adoption benefits to members of the National Guard. The adoption benefits measure was the first major initiative to emerge from the Military Spouse Task Force established last October by the first lady …

The Air Force is on target to generate 1 gigawatt of renewable energy at its installations by 2016, the service said Thursday, confirming a goal first revealed by the White House. Last week, the White House said the Air Force, Army and Navy each would strive to produce 1 gigawatt of renewable energy to power their installations, with the Navy and Army attempting to reach the goal by 2020 …

A measure providing bond money from the state of Alabama to school districts affected by BRAC mission growth was approved in committee this week and is expected to go to the House floor shortly. House Bill 407 would make it easier for school systems to qualify for special renovation or construction bonds by removing the requirement for the schools to first raise their sales or property tax rates …