WASHINGTON - Ellsworth Air Force Base was taken off the Pentagon’s recommended list of closures this morning, a decision that sent jubilant Rapid City residents leaping to their feet as they watched the proceedings on live TV.

The nine-member independent commission voted 8 to 1 to reject the Pentagon’s recommendation to close the base as part of the Defense Department’s plan to restructure the military.

“This is about the most fantastic day for South Dakota in a lot of years,” Pennington County Commission member Ken Davis said.
Two dozen people leaped to their feet, cheered and applauded early Friday morning when the decision came down.

The group, which included many of the people who worked to save the base east of Rapid City, gathered shortly after dawn at the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce office to watch the Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s discussion on a big-screen television.

For months, the state's Congressional delegation had argued that putting all of the nation's B1-B bombers in one place, at Dyess Air Force Base, was a risk to the nation's security.

In the end, though, the issue came down to money.

The commission found that closing Ellsworth wouldn’t save any money over 20 years, and that it actually would cost nearly $20 million to move the planes to the Texas base. The Pentagon had projected saving $1.8 billion over two decades with the closure.

“We have no savings, we’re essentially moving the airplanes from one very, very good base to another very, very good base, which are essentially equal,” commissioner Harold Gehman said before the vote.

Shortly after the vote, Rep. Stephanie Herseth said she sensed that arguments about cost savings were beginning to sway commissioners.

"In recent days and weeks we had been receiving signals that some of our arguments were resonating with the commissioners, particularly with respect to the projected cost savings of closing the base," Herseth said in a statement. "Not only did I become more optimistic, but I was confident that our odds had improved significantly. I am pleased that those signals were accurate and that we can celebrate today."

"We did what South Dakotans always do when we are dealt a bad hand: we rolled up our sleeves, we got to work, and we helped each other out," Herseth said. 

As the commission voted, Sen. John Thune smiled as he accepted handshakes of congratulations from other lawmakers, including New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who was awaiting a decision on the proposed closure of Cannon Air Force Base in his state. Thune said the decision was not political.

“Obviously our arguments got through. The current and future value of Ellsworth Air Force base got through.”

Ellsworth is the second largest employer in the state.

Its closure would have cost the state as many as 1,052 civilian jobs and thousands of military positions.

The Base Realignment and Closure Commission began voting Wednesday on recommendations to close or restructure 67 major bases.

The Defense Department has maintained that the moves would have saved $50 billion and better prepare the military for fighting terrorism and modern wars.

The panel’s decision on Ellsworth had serious political implications for Thune, the state’s freshman senator, who promised voters his Republican connections would help him save the base.

Thune, who defeated Senate minority leader, Tom Daschle last November, made Ellsworth his biggest priority once he took office.
Moments after this morning's vote, Thune's office sent out a statement:

"I am proud to have been a part of this victory to keep Ellsworth open, especially as America continues to fight the War on Terror. Ellsworth Air Force Base is integral to America’s current and future security needs."

Sen. Tim Johnson said “allowing Ellsworth to close without a fight was never an option.”

“I’m pleased that the BRAC Commissioners recognized the invaluable contribution Ellsworth Air Force Base makes to our national security and has recommended against placing it on the final base closure list," Johnson said. "Ellsworth is critical not only to our national defense, but to the economic livelihood of the Rapid City area.”

In the past several days, members of the independent panel questioned the Pentagon’s cost-savings estimates.

They pointed to a report by the Government Accountability Office that estimates the savings to be as low as $14 billion.

Closing Ellsworth could cost taxpayers $299 million, but save $1.9 billion over the next two decades, according to a GAO analysis.

Critics said those figures may also be overblown.

Since the Pentagon released its recommendations in May, Thune along with the other two members of South Dakota’s congressional delegation spent much of their time lobbying against the proposal to shut down Ellsworth.

In July, Thune introduced a measure to delay the base closure and realignment process until most U.S. troops are back from Iraq and other conditions are met.

Rep. Stephanie Herseth also introduced a similar bill in the House. Neither bill is expected to garner much support.

Base supporters said Ellsworth’s location in the geographic center of the nation made it ideal for global air strike missions.

They also pointed to the region’s sparse population, open air space and modern infrastructure in arguing for the base.

Supporters also argued that the Pentagon paid little attention to a federal lawsuit that could restrict the air space at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, which stood to gain South Dakota’s B-1 bombers.

Once the commission finishes voting, which is expected by Saturday, the list must be sent by Sept. 8 to President Bush who can either accept or reject it in its entirety.

Bush, who supports the base closure process, is not expected to reject the list.

After Bush is done with the list, Congress can try to block the whole base closure process if it can muster enough opposition.

That would probably take a two-thirds majority in both houses - enough to override a presidential veto. That’s considered a long shot.

Congressional attempts to derail previous BRAC rounds have all failed.

This story includes reports from Gannett News Service correspondent John Yaukey and the Associated Press.