Murray Announces Over $117 Million for Washington State Priorities in the Senate Military Construction Appropriations Bill

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) today announced a total of $117 million for Washington state military construction projects in the Military Construction Appropriations spending bill for Fiscal Year 2004. The Senate Appropriations Committee, of which Senator Murray is a member, approved the bill today.

The full Senate will consider the Military Construction bill in July. The bill includes funding for projects ranging from new barracks for Fort Lewis to an emergency training center for Spokane.

The following projects received funding in the Senate Military Construction Appropriations bill:

ARMY

*$48 million for Ft. Lewis barracks complex at 17th & B Streets

*$2.65 million for Ft. Lewis Deployment Staging Facility

*$1.25 million for Ft. Lewis Shoot House

NAVY

*$33.82 million for Bangor to Upgrade the Service Pier

*$6.53 million for a Waterfront Security Force Facility for Bangor

*$2.24 million for an Ordinance Transfer for Port Hadlock

*$6.02 million for Improvements to the Ship Repair Piers at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

AIR FORCE

*$8.1 million for Bulk Fuel Storage Tanks for McChord AFB

*$19.0 million for Phase 2 of Building 100, The Mission Support Center at McChord AFB

*$1.2 million for Design of the Mission Support Complex at Fairchild AFB

ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

*$7.5 million for the RED HORSE/ Medical Training Center at Camp Murray

Sen. Murray said, “These projects represent an important investment in our state’s military infrastructure. The services need these facilities, and the local economy will also benefit from these physical improvements on our bases. I am particularly pleased with the funds dedicated to barracks improvements at Fort Lewis and the Medical Training facility at Camp Murray.”

“I am hopeful that we will be able to add additional Military Construction funding later this year to begin the infrastructure work at Fairchild for the Boeing 767 tanker fleet,” Murray continued. “The Air Force has indicated that Fairchild will need approximately $200 million in military construction work to accommodate new tankers. For Fiscal Year 2004, the Air Force plan calls for more than $120 million in Fairchild military construction projects. These funds were not in President Bush’s original budget request.

I look forward to the Administration submitting a request for this critical funding for Fiscal Year 2004.”