Development News From Southwest Indiana

Lobbying for Crane
By The Associated Press, Tuesday, June 21, 2005

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman spent much of her life in southern Indiana and is trying to draw on that experience to convince federal officials of the historical and economic impact Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center has on the area.

She and other state officials on Monday tried to show a panel of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission how cutting 700 jobs at the base would adversely affect the people and economy of southern Indiana.
They said the Department of Defense was looking at the bottom line instead of seeing how changes proposed for Crane might be detrimental to the nation's defense.

Skillman said the installation in southwestern Indiana employed more than 5,000 Indiana residents, many of whom are highly skilled. The base performs numerous tasks in the fields of ordnance and electronic warfare products and systems, with employees modifying weapons for Navy Seals and testing laser-guided bombs, she said.

State Rep. Dave Crooks, D-Washington, who attended the hearing said he thought it went very well.

"There were several states giving testimony before our state spoke and we were told the commission delegation asked us the most questions. We think that was a good sign," Crooks said. He said the Indiana delegation stressed how there were no encroachment problems at the local Crane base, which appears to be a problem at some other military bases.

"We want to leave them with the impression that there is this incredible resource here in Indiana, and they can use it even more than it has been put to use in the past," said state Rep. Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington, who spoke at the hearing.

Skillman told three members of the base commission that Crane was "much more than a vital economic engine for the state."

"It is a critical, national defense resource," she said during a hearing on recommendations for Indiana and six other Midwestern states - Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Michigan. The hearing was one of 16 around the country to be held through early next month.

According to Skillman's office, Crane's work force includes about 4,000 military employees and another 1,000 contractors.

But the installation could lose 672 jobs as part of Pentagon's realignment of domestic military bases.

Crooks said he and Loogootee Mayor Don Bowling told the commission about how devastating the loss of nearly 1,000 jobs would be to the local region - which includes 200 to 300 contract jobs associated with Crane.

"From our research this is the second in job losses percentagewise of any of the other BRAC recommentations," Crooks said, adding, "It's a pretty big hit. There is a provision in the federal statute that would allow the commission to consider the economic situation in a base community."

Overall, Indiana would gain nearly 2,200 mostly civilian jobs under the recommendations. Almost 3,500 jobs would be added at the Army's Defense Finance center in Indianapolis.

Welch said people who had been hearing presentations from other states told her Indiana came off well.

"They said the panel seemed to be more actively engaged than with the presentations made by other states," she said. "They asked positive and friendly questions instead of challenging questions. They seemed to be really listening to what we said."

The commission will make recommendations to President Bush by September.

PO Box 20127, Evansville, IN 47708-0127 TEL: 812-423-2020 E-mail: info@swidc.org