http://www.abqjournal.com/weblogs/beltway.htm
Cannon Air Force Base will remain open - at least for the next five years.
The BRAC Commission just voted 6-1 to approve a proposal offered by Commissioner Samuel Skinner that would give Cannon five more years to find a viable military mission.
Gov. Bill Richardson, who has been at the BRAC hearings for the past two days, boarded a plane for New Mexico an hour ago (about 11:00 A.M. MST). He called the five-year extension a "partial victory."
"I'm encouraged by the commission's action today," Richardson told reporters.
I'm still trying to ascertain all the details and implications of the vote, but it appears under Skinner's plan, Cannon would lose its F-16 fighter jets, but would remain as an open, working Air Force Base until 2010. If the Pentagon could not find a suitable use for the base by then, it would be shuttered for good.
It looks like Richardson and the New Mexico congressional delegation have plenty more work to do where Cannon is concerned.
It seemed from listening to the commissioner's comments today that the New Mexico officials' relentless lobbying for Cannon helped spare the base, at least for now.
Almost all of the commissioners were incredibly effusive in their praise for the people of Clovis. They also seemed genuinely disturbed by the devastating economic implications of shutting the base.
"I believe the people of Clovis and Portales demonstrated to BRAC that the economic impact would be severe," Richardson said.
Caller from Clovis says this leaves Clovis in limbo. Now for the next four years there will be uncertainty and planning for other base uses will be stalled. Says would have been better to axe outright.