CONTACT:Mark Gnadt (907) 465-3842 www.akhouse.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Representative Tarr and Senator Ellis Applaud Air Force Decision to Leave 18th Aggressor Squadron in Fairbanks
Today, Representative Geran Tarr and Senator Johnny Ellis welcomed the United States Air Force’s decision to take the “no action” alternative from the 18th Aggressor Squadrons draft environmental impact statement.
The move, which would have relocated the 18th Aggressor Squadron, supporting units, and personnel who provide maintenance on the F-16s, from Eielson Air Force Base (EAFB) to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) Alaska, would have had negatively impacted the residents of Mountain View and Fairbanks and was not supported by either community.
“I went door to door to talk to my neighbors about the proposed F-16 move. They were both surprised and dismayed to hear about the proposal and were concerned about the impacts of the move on their quality of life,” said Tarr. “By maintaining operations in Fairbanks, the decision avoids the noise and economic challenges in our community and preserves the Air Force’s key location for national defense in the Pacific Theater.”
Senator Ellis added, “I’m pleased the department of defense has found a solution that both respects the concerns of the Mountain View community and maintains Alaskan military operations vital to our nation’s security. This decision is a win-win for Alaskans.”
Moving the F-16 squadron from Fairbanks to Anchorage would have resulted in an increased number of flyovers leading to unacceptable noise levels for a residential area and disruption for the students at Mountain View Elementary School. It would have added significant demand for housing in an already overheated Anchorage housing market and the quality of life for Mountain View residents would have been negatively impacted.
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NEWS: Tarr and Ellis Applaud Air Force F-16 Decision
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