Maybe it's just me, but I'm getting the idea that N.C. Senate President Marc Basnight doesn't like the Navy's handling of the search for an outlying landing field one little bit.
He's been opposing the Navy's plans to put an outlying landing field in Northeastern North Carolina for years. After the Navy abandoned its flawed plan to build the field in Washington and Beaufort counties near the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge -- where its Super Hornet jets and their pilots would be subject to potential collisions with the large waterfowl that spend their winters in the area -- the Navy turned to other sites in Virginia and North Carolina. The list includes sites in Camden and Currituck counties -- and when Basnight, a Dare Democrat, longtime Senate leader and N.C. political power -- found out about a recent meeting between Navy brass and a few hand-picked guests in North Carolina, he and Rep. Bill Owens, D-Pasquotank, let loose a broadside at the Navy. They called the OLF plan "awful" and said the Navy's proposal for a North Carolina landing field to practice aircraft carrier landings was plain wrong.
For those keeping track of this saga, here's the text of the Basnight/Owen volley:
April 12, 2010
Admiral John C. Harvey, Jr.
Commander, US Fleet Forces Command
Fleet Public Affairs (N02P)
1562 Mitscher Ave., Suite 250
Norfolk, VA 23551-2487
Dear Admiral Harvey:
For almost a decade, small, rural communities in northeastern North Carolina have been
in an epic battle with the United States Navy over the destruction and elimination of their way of
life. These are not wealthy with the monetary riches that the area in which you live is
accustomed to, but they are rich in family, heritage and tradition – all foundations of our great
nation and our United States Navy.
Over this past decade, the impassioned pleas of these rural residents have fallen on deaf
ears in the offices of this country’s Navy. Continuously, the Navy has refused to respect the
wishes of our state’s residents and has instead continued to steam forward to a goal that is neither
needed wanted or needed: the construction of an outlying landing field in northeastern North
Carolina.
Both of us have supplied several reasonable alternatives to this abhorrent idea of an OLF
in our area. Countless times we have written with suggestions ranging from an off-shore
platform to a parallel runway at Cherry Point Air Station. Again, these ideas have fallen on deaf
ears.
Now we received word that you visited our great state to discuss this awful idea of an
OLF in northeastern North Carolina in a closed meeting with local residents. We must say, it is
very rare for a four-star admiral to visit our great state, and we, as well as the local governments,
wish we had a little notice. Instead, it seems as though Virginia business groups were invited,
but that locally elected officials were not. In our humble opinion, that does not go very far in
creating feelings of trust.
We both welcome you to share with the Hampton Roads business community that
northeastern North Carolina does not want and will not accept an outlying landing field in our
communities. We thought that message was made clear last year when the North Carolina
General Assembly unanimously passed legislation not ceding jurisdiction to an OLF in our area.
North Carolina is the proudest military state in our great nation. Our citizens have
proudly served since before the formation of our country and have given tens of thousands in the
protection of it. We are not against the Navy, but what is right is right and what is wrong is
wrong – and Admiral, an OLF in northeastern North Carolina is WRONG.
Please do not let this plea fall on deaf ears and do whatever it takes to remove both sites
in northeastern North Carolina from the OLF study.
Sincerely,
Marc Basnight
Bill Owens
