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Gov. Rounds praises Republicans, Democrats on BRAC efforts
By Celeste Calvitto, Journal Staff Writer

RAPID CITY -- Gov. Mike Rounds said Wednesday that the fight to save Ellsworth Air Force Base is going strong as a decision nears on whether to remove the base from the Pentagon's list of recommended base closings.

"We are on the right road and are making lots of headway in keeping Ellsworth Air Force Base," Rounds said to enthusiastic applause from the audience as he addressed members of the Pennington County Republican Party at a luncheon in Rapid City.

Rounds said that the Defense Base and Realignment Closure Commission, which is expected to vote during the week of Aug. 22 on whether to remove military installations from the Defense Department list of recommended closings, is continually being supplied with new information about everything from Ellsworth's training ranges to regional weather patterns.

He credited the efforts of the Ellsworth Task Force and South Dakota's congressional delegation with keeping the possibility of reversing the Pentagon's recommendation at the forefront.

"I know this is a Republican group, but I will tell you also that this has been a unified effort of all our elected officials, Republican and Democrat," Rounds told the audience. "They are working as a team to make sure that the real information about Ellsworth is put in front of the BRAC commission."