Governor Baldacci's Address to Maine Upon BRAC Decisions

Governor Baldacci's Address to Maine Upon BRAC Decisions

Earlier today, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) voted to keep the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard open and to close the Brunswick Naval Air Station. This afternoon, in Brunswick, Governor Baldacci addressed the people of Maine regarding the BRAC decisions. The full text of the Governor's prepared remarks appears below.

"Today the Department of Defense -- BRAC -- made a great decision. They voted to keep the great Portsmouth Naval Shipyard open. The commission saw the wisdom of the arguments we made. We're relieved and very, very pleased that this historic shipyard, with its great work force and unmatched record of achievement and national importance, will continue to serve this nation for a long time to come.

The commission also made one poor decision today. It voted to close this important facility, Brunswick Naval Air Station. This was a bad decision, unsupported by the facts, unsupported by the merits. We feel this decision is contrary to the national interests and the security of the United States. We don't know yet what the vote will be on the Limestone facility - we will learn of that decision soon.

To the people of Brunswick Naval Air Station, today's vote means the eventual end of the station's long and distinguished service to our country. I know the state of Maine and the nation are grateful for all that this base and its dedicated workers have done through the years.

The closure of the Brunswick station will not commence until 2009. It will be fully closed by 2011. So we do have some time to work.

If the Limestone facility is closed - and we hope it's not -- it will phase out slowly with most job losses in 2010 through 2012.

This timeline gives us an opportunity to transition from a position of strength.

II. Here's What we've done so far to prepare for these closings: We have been fighting the closure of these facilities. But we did the prudent thing - while we hoped for the best, we prepared for the worst. In the event BRAC made wrong decisions - and they did, we feel, in Brunswick -- we applied for and received $1,000,000 of initial money from the U.S. Department of Labor. We are using these funds to assess the job skills of the workers at the facilities. That will help us to match those skills with economic development opportunities in the affected regions.

We have already been working with the people of Brunswick. I have been meeting with Don Gerrish and Pat Harrington, the Manager and Assistant Manager of the Town of Brunswick, and with Gary Brown, the Town Manager of Topsham. Tomorrow I will meet with them again to sign an agreement that will allow Brunswick and Topsham to move ahead, along with the state, in re-use planning and implementation.

The towns and the state are approaching this together. We are moving ahead in a positive and coordinated way.

III. What we're going to do next: We are creating the Office of Redevelopment and Re-employment. This office will be a single point of contact for all state actions in response to the base closures. I'm signing the Executive Order today to create this office. The office will coordinate and deliver all state and federal resources that can be brought to bear to assist the workers and the people most directly impacted. The office will be advised by a Council of leading Maine citizens who will provide a broad perspective on the opportunities presented by the closures.

We are going to jumpstart the transition for the affected communities, workers and families. Rather than wait for the first job loss, we are going to provide worker training two years in advance of expected layoffs. Next week, we will be providing workers at the bases with information about the new training opportunities available.

Through the Jump Start program, FAME will offer up to $250,000 in new scholarships for workers who return to school. Displaced workers will be eligible for tuition free courses at Maine Community Colleges and enrollment in on-premise academic programs through the University of Maine System. Adult Education programs are in place to assist those who have been out of school for a long time.

Maine's Career Centers will be open extra hours and providing information to concerned workers.

Affordable housing assistance will be available. Two million dollars will be secured through the Maine State Housing Authority for the benefit of the families affected.

We will be prioritizing existing bond revenues to target the communities hit by today's closure decision.

We will be targeting additional economic stimulus efforts to these communities.

We will make $200,000 of Governor's Training Initiative money immediately available to small businesses looking to expand and to their workers.

Finally, on January first, enrollment in the Dirigo Health program will be open to all individuals. That includes workers and small businesses in these communities.

IV. Opportunity Mainers are resourceful people. We've gone through major change before, and we've always emerged better and stronger. Other bases have been shut down - look at Dow Air Force Base. What is it today? It's a thriving international airport in the very vibrant city of Bangor. If any state knows how to face a challenge, it's Maine. What we do is turn challenges into opportunities. BRAC has handed us a challenge - and we will make the most of it. We've done it before and we'll do it again.

The Brunswick base has over 3200 acres of property near the ocean and colleges, with two 8000-foot runways able to handle any aircraft in the world with space to accommodate the security needs of the new world of aviation. It has direct rail access to Portland and Boston, and is close to world-class businesses and attractions such as LLBean. And of course its main resource is its people. It has a trained and skilled workforce.

These are terrific assets and we're going to make the most of them. As Mainers, we work together...we help our neighbors...we hold onto our values...and we always move forward. And the best part is - we stay true to ourselves. We are Mainers - and Maine is Maine.

We are not a timid people. Our future is not in the hands of the Department of Defense. This is the first day of building a better tomorrow for the citizens of Brunswick and Topsham. Our future is in our hands. Thank you".

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