News

Rounds praises efforts to save base
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 Closure and Realignment, or BRAC, 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.

The Pentagon wants to consolidate the nation's B-1B Lancer bombers, including the 29 at Ellsworth, at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas.

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."

Rounds added that a parallel effort is in progress "if it doesn't go the right way for the United States of America and we lose Ellsworth."

"We are realistic. We know this is a decision that could go either way, and we continue to work on a parallel path," Rounds said. "We have done the analysis and have applied for the grants that are available to help with a transition should we lose that asset and if it is turned over to a redevelopment authority for other uses."

He said that although the main effort is directed at keeping the base open, "we take this seriously and haven't forgotten about the risk of losing the base."

Turning to other topics that are important to the economy of the state and region, Rounds gave an update on his efforts to expedite the re-opening of the Homestake gold mine in Lead as an underground laboratory.

He said the state is negotiating with the owner of the mine, Barrick Gold Corp. of Toronto, to open a laboratory at the 4,850-foot level.

"We've shared that with the science community, and it has been wholeheartedly endorsed," Rounds said. "If Barrick agrees, we would pay to retrofit it and safely create a lab. At 4,850 feet, we could begin to do experiments there in literally a matter of months."

He said he would need to ask the state Legislature for funds. "The cost at that level is insignificant compared to the value for South Dakota," he said. "This is an educational opportunity for our children, and our universities could expand their role in direct research."

Rounds also mentioned the plan to complete the Heartland Expressway. The project has received nearly $70 million in the federal highway bill.

"We are on track with getting all that work done," he said. "We have come a long way in the state in terms of making the improvements necessary to bring visitors from out of state."

He said one of the goals of the state's 2010 initiative is to double visitor spending by that time. "That's what it is all about — growing our economy," he said.

Contact Celeste Calvitto at 394-8438 or celeste.calvitto@rapidcityjournal.com