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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Jay Purdy |
State Rep. Rick Taylor |
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Taylor bill would seal Willow Grove NAS from passenger, cargo use
HARRISBURG, June 1 – State Rep. Rick Taylor, D-Montgomery, today announced he is about to introduce a bill that would ban the use of the Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base for either commercial passenger or cargo flight service.
The U.S. troop readiness funding bill passed by Congress and signed by President Bush contained a provision directing the Navy to turn the air station over to the Air Force for use by the Pennsylvania National Guard and other state and federal agencies as a multi-use facility centering on homeland security and emergency preparedness operations.
The naval facility had been slated to close in 2011 as part of a 2005 decision by the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission.
There had been fears that the abandonment of naval and Air Force operations would mean the facility would be converted for use as a commercial passenger or air cargo center.
Gov. Ed Rendell declared Thursday that Willow Grove will continue to serve the region as a national security and emergency preparedness hub, and not for civilian passenger or cargo use.
But without putting the policy into law, a future governor could eliminate the restriction.
“My neighbors don’t want to see a loaded 747 landing in their backyard,” said Taylor. ”I have spoken with the governor. He is sincere in his commitment to not allow Willow Grove to become a hub for commercial air passenger and cargo operations, but he can’t speak for future administrations.”
That’s where Taylor is taking the initiative. He is now soliciting co-sponsors for a proposed law he will introduce shortly that would exclude commercial passenger or air cargo operations from Willow Grove.
“My bill would specify criteria for the use of Willow Grove, and those criteria would not allow it to be used for commercial passenger or air cargo operations,” Taylor said.
"This bill would cement Commonwealth assurance that Willow Grove isn’t going to be a hub for major commercial air traffic activities, on top of the federal and state action to likewise ensure that it won’t be closed.”
Taylor said he is appreciative of the bipartisan support that protecting Willow Grove has garnered at the federal level and hopes to see the same cooperation emerge as his legislation moves through the General Assembly.
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