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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Jay Purdy |
State Rep. Rick Taylor |
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House sends Taylor’s Willow Grove bill to Senate
HARRISBURG, July 6 – The state House today overwhelmingly passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Rick Taylor, D-Montgomery, that would forbid use of the Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base as either a commercial passenger airport or for cargo flight service.
The vote on the measure was 190-8.
A 2005 decision by the federal Base Realignment and Closure Committee has Willow Grove scheduled to close as a military base in 2011.
Concern had grown among area residents that the closure could result in the airfield being converted to a commercial passenger or air cargo center. Under the Taylor bill that now awaits Senate action, the base would become the Willow Grove Joint Interagency Installation, serving various state and federal agencies for law enforcement, homeland security and emergency and disaster response, as well as being used by the Pennsylvania National Guard.
“There are a lot of people in Horsham Township and other communities around Willow Grove who are extremely worried that the base could become a busy cargo or passenger airport with many more planes at all hours of the day and night, with the additional auto and truck traffic that would result,” Taylor said.
“That concern is reflected in the response my office has received from Internet and regular mail invitations we have put out inviting people to sign on to a petition in favor of keeping cargo or passenger operations out of Willow Grove. The response was instant and remains heavy, with more people signing on each day.”
Taylor added that many area residents tell him they don’t mind the air traffic related to military flights and homeland security, but the level of fights for commercial operations would be overwhelming.
There is still time for the Senate to act on the Taylor bill before the legislature breaks for the summer after passing the state budget.
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