From Deseret News archives:

A 'banner day' for Hill

Utah air base survives; chemical depot does not

Published: Saturday, May 14, 2005 12:19 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of communities across the nation mourned Black Friday, but in Utah the general feeling was one of relief.

Elsewhere, military installations learned the Department of Defense was recommending they be closed or downsized. But Hill Air Force Base, Utah's largest employer with more than 50,000 direct and indirect jobs, was largely spared by the Department of Defense, and cuts to other Utah bases were either small or were expected.

"Any time you lose even some jobs, you cannot be completely happy," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, but he nevertheless called it a "banner day."

Before closures or downsizings can take effect, the Defense Department's proposal must be approved or changed by a federal base-closing commission by Sept. 8, and then approved by Congress and President Bush in a process that will run into the fall.

The Pentagon proposes shutting about 180 military installations from Maine to Hawaii, including 33 major bases, triggering the first round of base closures in a decade — and an intense struggle to save facilities viewed as the economic lifeblood of local communities.

Story continues below
Overall, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said his plan, which affects workers at 775 military bases, would save $48.8 billion over 20 years while making the military more mobile and better suited for the global effort against terrorism.

Rumsfeld's proposal calls for a net loss of 26,187 military and civilian jobs, including personnel who would be moved home from overseas.

Deseret Morning News graphic

DNews graphic

Utah bases and facilities

Requires Adobe Acrobat.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image

Col. Joseph Sokol Jr. discusses on Friday how the Pentagon's proposed base realignment will affect jobs at Hill Air Force Base.

previousnext

Latest comments

Letters: A plea to senators

I'm old enough to remember when the "conservative Southern Democrat Senators"...

RSL surprised by Chicago's Fire

I appreciate your coverage of rsl all season long. Thanks Rock, Donaldson,...

Jazz rookies had to grow up quickly

...........the Brew does not seem to have the same flavor....... after...

I'm glad basketball is at the Dee events center. The ecenter is terrible....

Yeah, to listen to some of these posts you'd think the Founding Fathers would...

Bennett at center of GOP storm

To all of you who say "throw the bums out," I say, that you're the kind of...

that China owns a good chunk of America.

Letters: Founders not extremists

Thanks for believing the Founding Fathers were extremeists, and then lay...

Give them a break, its just Capitalism at its best.

The fact that people get so defensive about it just feeds the haters. let it...

Advertisements
Advertisement