Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
2/27/2015
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) raised concerns during a Feb. 25 hearing of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee about the proposed expansion of the Powder River Training Complex (PRTC) overlying parts of Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas. The Air Force on Jan. 16 approved nearly quadrupling the complex, which is used as a training area for B-52s housed at Minot AFB, N.D., and B-1s stationed at Ellsworth AFB, S.D. The Federal Aviation Administration has until March 17 to issue its record decision on whether the complex will move forward.
Montana Congressional lawmakers have been the most outspoken delegation against the expansion, citing concerns about possible disruptions caused by low-flying military aircraft. A November-released Air Force Final Environmental Impact Statement notes that local residents’ and commercial airline stakeholders’ concerns including increased air traffic, noise and pollution.
Plan Originally Involved ‘Sleepy Corner of Montana’
Daines said when the Air Force started the PRTC expansion plan in 2008, underlying land was merely a “sleepy corner of Montana.” But energy development has brought the prospect of more air traffic to southeastern Montana. Daines added to the list of residential and airline concerns, noting that the complex would overlie the Keystone Pipeline, which will run through Baker, Mont. and require 2,500 annual inspection hours. “These are flight hours that are going to come out of Baker Airport,” Daines said. “So it’s probably more of a common statement that we can just engage on that while I have you here down the road to make sure that we’ve got a plan that addresses the mission that we need to protect the B-1s at Ellsworth, but also it’s really to protect the public safety there in southeast Montana. It’s a very different environment than it was when that plan first began and evolved back in 2008.”
James said 20th Air Force officials are meeting “constantly” with local officials and Montana residents to address concerns. “As you said, it is a very important area for our large-scale bombing oriented exercises,” James told Daines. “So this is important to us as well. And we want to continue the dialogue.”
