Senate Proceeding on Jul 23rd, 2009 :: 6:19:50 to 6:29:25
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6:19:48 to 6:20:08( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: everyone knows what's going on. objection, so ordered. the clerk will the clerk: senator from north carolina, mr. burr, for himself an amendment number 1519. mr. burr: i ask animous consent that the amendment be considered as read. the presiding officer: without objection.

6:19:50 to 6:29:25( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Richard Burr

6:20:09 to 6:20:29( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: mr. burr: mr. president, most members won't know much about this amendment. if you're not from virginia or on the armed services committee, this wl probably not make a lot of but this is about the proposed acquisition of land in north carolina for an outlying landing field for those carrier-based

6:20:30 to 6:20:52( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: aircraft to practice their tough and goes for t night takeoffs and night landings. this is not new to north carolina, and let me say to my colleagues there is -- i don't think there is a state more north carolina, we're home

6:20:53 to 6:21:13( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: camp what june, the -- camp lejeune. and we don't only military, we support the military. it is the most mil you can find and there is no military family that's stationed within north carolina that's not extended in-state tuition regardless of how long they're

6:21:14 to 6:21:36( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: there or whether their kids are still in education once their parents have been deployed elsewhere. this is not an issue of not in my back yard. but there are two proposed sites. what my amendme does is prohibits the establishment of an outlying landing field at the

6:21:37 to 6:21:58( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: proposed sounds bank county carolina. it says you have to take them off the list. the navy is proposing to construct this outlying landing field for their wing aircraft squadrons stationed in virgi the naval air station oceana.

6:21:59 to 6:22:19( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: and they propose to acquire 30,000 acres. so they're getting 30,000 acres through accommodation of fee simple purchases, the of restricted use or through conservation easements. approximely 2,000 acres would be used for the core area, which would include an 8,000-foot runway.

6:22:20 to 6:22:41( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: think about 30,000 acres relative to the airport that's in your local community and you get an idea bigger this footprint is. now, i said earlier this is not about just not in my back yard. as a matter of fact, north carolina, has proffered to the navy currently a marine air

6:22:42 to 6:23:03( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: station in potential o.l.f. site where we've already got squadrons of marine aircraft. we've got the capacity and, more importantly, have a community that wants to have this site. now, the navy doesn't support the cherry point proposal partially because it's considered to be in

6:23:04 to 6:23:24( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: too far from n.a.c. oceana. well, let me describe for my colleagues,hen you draw the line that says anything outside this is too far, cherry point falls 20 miles outside of the line that they've drawn. 20 miles is the land or the glide path to take off.

6:23:25 to 6:23:45( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: we're not talking about a big distance. it doesn't seem to make sense why the navy's looking to condemn 30,000 acres for the purposes of facility instead of using an existing facility -- an existing military base that would be much more efficient

6:23:46 to 6:24:07( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: for the navy, and, importantly, cost effective for taxpayers. why am i here? why is senator hagan offering this amendment? because the people in gates county, in curituck county, they don't want it. saying, if they don't want us,

6:24:08 to 6:24:28( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: we won't go there. and the truth is it doesn't stop there. mr. chairman, i would like to neent the record, if i -- i would like to enter into the record on may 27, 2009, the north carolina general assembly unanimously passed house bill 613, which states the consent of

6:24:29 to 6:24:49( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: the state is not granted to the federal government for acquisition of land for an outlying landing field in county or counties wch have no existing military base where squadrons are stationed. i would like to make that a part of the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. burr: bill is the senate president of the north carolina senate. the presiding officer: without

6:24:50 to 6:25:11( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: objection. mr. burr: mr. president, an o.l.f. at any of the proposed sites in north carolina or virginia would create 52 jobs. 52 footprint. the location at hails lake site

6:25:12 to 6:25:32( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: that currently employs 90 employees and has a local economic impact of approximately approximately $6.5 million. let me say that again. we're being asked to consider a footprint, a 30,000-acre footprint at hales lake where we're going to take 90 jobs and we're going to r 52 jobs.

6:25:33 to 6:25:55( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: where they have $6.5 million worth of economic impact and we're going t where the federal government doesn't pay property taxes. the core of the sands bank outlying site contains 89 acres of wetland.

6:25:56 to 6:26:18( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: the core of the sands bank contains 89 acres of wetland. the north carolina division of water quality sands bank site not be pursued. why? because of the significance of wetlands. now, i say to my colleagues, and i think we'll proba amendment and we're going to have a voice vote on it.

6:26:19 to 6:26:40( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: but i think it's important for colleagues carolina's take option after option after option to the navy. as a matter of fact, this is our second round after they shortcut an environmental impact study and the courts got involved and a site that they had picked and already purchased land they're

6:26:41 to 6:27:01( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: in the unusu having a lot of land and they can't build the site there based upon where the environmental impact study sent them. because they were trying to put it next to one of the largest migratory bird areas on the east coast. not a smart thing to have pilots taking jets in.

6:27:02 to 6:27:23( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: and it's got to go through environmental impact study whether they pick the sands bank site or whether they pick hale lake site. i'm not sure if the e.i.s. study will allow them to go to bank where there is 1,200 acres

6:27:24 to 6:27:46( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: of wetlands out there. that's all in there. but we have communities today th they're being affected by the fact that the property can't sell. that people don't want to move there because they don't know he whether there will be a naval jet base. they don't know whether there will be a area where all night long you're going to have aircraft going in

6:27:47 to 6:28:07( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: and it only the local community. not a very good tradeoff on part of north carolina. not a very good action on par of the military. i ask my colleagues -- i think we probably know the outcome of the vote. but we've got to

6:28:08 to 6:28:28( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: north carolina's an incredible state when it relates to our military. that doesn't mean that the military can just walk in, make a decisions that inconsistent with what's and potentially forces an adverse relationship between the state and the military. they pushed it and that's why the general assbly did what it

6:28:29 to 6:28:50( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: did it. it's my hope that as this bill moves through conference, that since the house provision in it, that at least this provision will prevail. but i thank my colleagues. i thank the chair, and i thank the ranking member for their understanding of allowing me to bring this amendment up. it's important that every member understand what's involved and

6:28:51 to 6:29:12( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: at the core of this it's the lives of people in north it's the ability to have predictability in the future not necessarily a decision that may linger for six or seven or 10 years with individuals knowing what the disposition of the navy decision is going to be. therefore a market for their

6:29:13 to 6:29:28( Edit History Discussion )

Richard Burr: property or the plans for the next generation of farmer, as it might relate to hales lake, not knowing exactly how to plan their lives.