SENATE RESOLUTION

                         1991-8662

By Senators Metcalf and Rasmussen

     WHEREAS, The Whidbey Island Naval Air Station was established in Oak Harbor in 1942 to provide for the national defense being located furthest to the North and West in the continental United States of any air base as well as having a superb combination of weather conditions and open air space; and

     WHEREAS, The Naval Air Station currently employs 8,100 members of the military and 1,750 civilians; and

     WHEREAS, There are twenty-three squadrons assigned to the base, including thirteen Tactical Electronic Warfare squadrons that fly EA-6B aircraft, eight A-6E Intruder bomber squadrons, two training units for those aircraft, and several Navy and Marine Corps reserve units; and

     WHEREAS, More than 2,500 military personnel from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station performed valiantly in the recent war with Iraq; and

     WHEREAS, The federal government has spent millions of dollars at the base to build a new hospital, a new commissary, training facilities for pilots, and a new administration building for reserve officers all completed within the past year; and

     WHEREAS, More than half all workers, military and civilian are employed at the base; and

     WHEREAS, The nearly $300 million annual payroll of the naval air station represents nearly half of the total income of Island County; and

     WHEREAS, The economic base of the small community of Oak Harbor and much of Island County would be devastated by the loss of the base; and

     WHEREAS, Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney on April 12, 1991, formally recommended the closure of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station; and

     WHEREAS, A bipartisan commission appointed by the Bush administration will decide by July 15, 1991, whether to forward that recommendation to the United States Congress for implementation;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate of the state of Washington urge the federal government to reject that recommendation and maintain the naval air base at Oak Harbor; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent by the Secretary of the Senate to President George Bush, to the presiding officer of both houses of the United States Congress, the entire Washington State delegation to Congress, to the federal Base Closure and Realignment Commission, and to Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney.

I, Gordon A. Golob, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 1991-8662,

adopted by the Senate April 12, 1991.

GORDON A. GOLOB

Secretary of the Senate