Governor Rendell Thanks Federal Delegation for Support of the Plan for Willow Grove

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today thanked Pennsylvania's Congressional delegation for its support of a provision to preserve military operations, including flying operations, at Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base. The provision was included in the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007, which was passed by Congress on May 24 and signed into law by President Bush on May 25.

The Governor's statement follows:

"The success of efforts to save Willow Grove is great news for our commonwealth and our nation. Congress and the President did the right thing when they directed the Navy to transfer Willow Grove Naval Air Station to the Air Force for designation as a joint interagency installation for use by the Pennsylvania National Guard, as well as other Department of Defense components and government agencies.

"We now see a clear way ahead for Willow Grove to continue to maintain its core capabilities and to support homeland security, national defense and emergency preparedness missions.

"With its recently refurbished, 8,000-foot runway, state-of-the-art digital radar system, DoD-level security and key strategic proximity to Philadelphia and other major urban areas, Willow Grove promises to be a model homeland security and emergency preparedness hub.

"I have heard from state Rep. Rick Taylor and other local leaders about the importance of reassuring everyone that Willow Grove will not be converted to a civilian airport. Let me make this clear: Willow Grove will remain a government airfield for military and other government and related uses; it will not be used for regularly-scheduled commercial passenger or cargo operations.

"Everyone in our Congressional delegation worked hard to support this concept. But I must pay special thanks to Congressman John Murtha and Sen. Arlen Specter for their steadfast support and decisive actions, and Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, who represents the Willow Grove area, has been a strong supporter.

"We look forward to working with the Horsham community as we move forward to forge a strong federal-state partnership to keep Willow Grove functioning to perform the essential missions that will be assigned there."

The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit his Web site at: http://www.governor.state.pa.us.

CONTACT:

Doug Rohanna

717-783-1116