Closure of bases may lift arsenal

Cramer says tight NASA budget will pressure Marshall

Wednesday, May 05, 2004

By JOHN PECK

Times Staff Writer jpeck@htimes.com

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, and other congressional leaders told Huntsville-area business officials Tuesday that Redstone Arsenal could gain from the next round of military base closures and realignments.

"I believe Huntsville will benefit from BRAC,'' or the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, Shelby told the group from the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce on its annual lobbying trip to Washington.

Factors favoring BRAC shifts to Redstone, Shelby said, include new arsenal buildings that could accommodate transfers of military programs; a high concentration of residents with advanced degrees in math, science and engineering; an abundance of federal agencies with defense and military-related missions; and impressive research universities.

"That will create a synergy,'' he said. Shelby serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and chairs a transportation subcommittee.

Later Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Huntsville, and other congressional leaders warned the war in Iraq and other budget pressures threaten NASA funding and money for Bush's space plans.

The president's proposed $16.2 billion NASA budget - a $1 billion increase - has come under attack for being too costly and vague.

"We may be all right but there's some uncertainty there,'' Cramer told the chamber. Canceled programs like the orbital space plane and congressional demands for more defined NASA goals signal trouble, he said. Cramer said he hopes Marshall's contributions to the nation's space program will help steer any new NASA money to Huntsville.

"Whenever you have new missions like this, you open that can up and hands from different (NASA) centers and from headquarters are in there," he said. "I believe we can steer through it but we've got to be very alert."

The ranking Democrat on the House Science Committee painted a dimmer outlook for NASA's budget. Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tennessee, told Huntsville area leaders NASA needs to do a better job selling itself if it expects a budget increase and money toward Bush's space initiative.

"You'd be wildly optimistic to think NASA is going to get full funding. It would be impossible unless the president fully weighs in, and he hasn't done that,'' he said. Gordon commended Bush for setting lofty space goals but said Congress needs a more detailed spending plan "before putting this nation on a 30-plus years new direction'' in space policy.

A Senate leader agreed. "I appreciate the role of Marshall and NASA but it all depends on the numbers,'' said Sen. Kit Bond, chairman of an appropriations subcommittee over NASA's budget. Bond, R-Missouri, said it is unlikely NASA will get the $1 billion budget increase Bush has proposed.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, called NASA's budget outlook "dicey'' and said some congressional members favor cuts to fund the war effort. Sessions said although it might have been better to have a more detailed plan for Bush's space initiative, some of the criticisms of it are mere election year "pot shots.''

Sessions told the chamber to consider it a victory if NASA comes through even with a marginal budget increase. "We need to be happy the president stepped up on NASA. If he hadn't, we'd be talking cuts, not increases,'' he said.

John Marburger, Bush's top adviser on science and technology, told a chamber luncheon Tuesday that Bush's space initiative should be viewed as a "journey and not a race.''

Supporters argue the initiative differs from the 1960s-era "race to the moon'' in that it is broader in scope and will partly define itself as new discoveries emerge. Marburger called the quest a "step by step'' approach and stressed that the science spinoffs should not be ignored.

The plan calls for robotic lunar missions by 2008, a new launch vehicle by 2011, a manned lunar mission by 2015 and eventually robotic and manned missions to Mars and beyond. Advanced telescopes and new propulsion technologies are also central to the plan.

Marshall's expertise in propulsion should make it a major player in the development of new launch vehicles, Marburger said. A major emphasis in Bush's NASA budget is the return of shuttle flights and completion of the International Space Station. Money from those programs can shift to the new space initiative once those goals have been achieved and the shuttle fleet is retired.

Brian Hilson, president of the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber, suggested NASA can win more support by touting all the products and discoveries that have come from space exploration.

That would shift the focus off space transportation systems to spinoffs everyday people can relate to.

"The benefits to mankind from NASA's technological breakthroughs needs to be continuously and vigorously driven home to the American public so when decisions are made about NASA's budget, it won't be a misunderstanding based solely on the basis of transportation,'' Hilson said after Tuesday's briefings.

"In the 1960s, when we were in a race with the Russians and the public was caught up in putting man on the moon, the emphasis on space transportation was sufficient. Nowadays, we really need to focus on the development of technology.''

The briefings capped a three-day lobbying trip for the North Alabama group.

The delegation, with 145 members, included business, civic and elected leaders from Huntsville, Madison, Decatur, Hartselle and Athens.

Others who spoke to chamber members Tuesday included Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.; Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Senate Armed Services Chairman John Warner, R-Va.; U.S. Rep. Jane Harman, D-California, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee; and Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville.



Closure of bases may lift arsenal Cramer says tight NASA budget will pressure Marshall Wednesday, May 05, 2004 By JOHN PECK Times Staff Writer jpeck@htimes.com WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, and other congressional leaders told Huntsville-area business officials Tuesday that Redstone Arsenal could gain from the next round of military base closures and realignments. "I believe Huntsville will benefit from BRAC,'' or the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, Shelby told the group from the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce on its annual lobbying trip to Washington. Factors favoring BRAC shifts to Redstone, Shelby said, include new arsenal buildings that could accommodate transfers of military programs; a high concentration of residents with advanced degrees in math, science and engineering; an abundance of federal agencies with defense and military-related missions; and impressive research universities. "That will create a synergy,'' he said. Shelby serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and chairs a transportation subcommittee. Later Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Huntsville, and other congressional leaders warned the war in Iraq and other budget pressures threaten NASA funding and money for Bush's space plans. The president's proposed $16.2 billion NASA budget - a $1 billion increase - has come under attack for being too costly and vague. "We may be all right but there's some uncertainty there,'' Cramer told the chamber. Canceled programs like the orbital space plane and congressional demands for more defined NASA goals signal trouble, he said. Cramer said he hopes Marshall's contributions to the nation's space program will help steer any new NASA money to Huntsville. "Whenever you have new missions like this, you open that can up and hands from different (NASA) centers and from headquarters are in there," he said. "I believe we can steer through it but we've got to be very alert." The ranking Democrat on the House Science Committee painted a dimmer outlook for NASA's budget. Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tennessee, told Huntsville area leaders NASA needs to do a better job selling itself if it expects a budget increase and money toward Bush's space initiative. "You'd be wildly optimistic to think NASA is going to get full funding. It would be impossible unless the president fully weighs in, and he hasn't done that,'' he said. Gordon commended Bush for setting lofty space goals but said Congress needs a more detailed spending plan "before putting this nation on a 30-plus years new direction'' in space policy. A Senate leader agreed. "I appreciate the role of Marshall and NASA but it all depends on the numbers,'' said Sen. Kit Bond, chairman of an appropriations subcommittee over NASA's budget. Bond, R-Missouri, said it is unlikely NASA will get the $1 billion budget increase Bush has proposed. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, called NASA's budget outlook "dicey'' and said some congressional members favor cuts to fund the war effort. Sessions said although it might have been better to have a more detailed plan for Bush's space initiative, some of the criticisms of it are mere election year "pot shots.'' Sessions told the chamber to consider it a victory if NASA comes through even with a marginal budget increase. "We need to be happy the president stepped up on NASA. If he hadn't, we'd be talking cuts, not increases,'' he said. John Marburger, Bush's top adviser on science and technology, told a chamber luncheon Tuesday that Bush's space initiative should be viewed as a "journey and not a race.'' Supporters argue the initiative differs from the 1960s-era "race to the moon'' in that it is broader in scope and will partly define itself as new discoveries emerge. Marburger called the quest a "step by step'' approach and stressed that the science spinoffs should not be ignored. The plan calls for robotic lunar missions by 2008, a new launch vehicle by 2011, a manned lunar mission by 2015 and eventually robotic and manned missions to Mars and beyond. Advanced telescopes and new propulsion technologies are also central to the plan. Marshall's expertise in propulsion should make it a major player in the development of new launch vehicles, Marburger said. A major emphasis in Bush's NASA budget is the return of shuttle flights and completion of the International Space Station. Money from those programs can shift to the new space initiative once those goals have been achieved and the shuttle fleet is retired. Brian Hilson, president of the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber, suggested NASA can win more support by touting all the products and discoveries that have come from space exploration. That would shift the focus off space transportation systems to spinoffs everyday people can relate to. "The benefits to mankind from NASA's technological breakthroughs needs to be continuously and vigorously driven home to the American public so when decisions are made about NASA's budget, it won't be a misunderstanding based solely on the basis of transportation,'' Hilson said after Tuesday's briefings. "In the 1960s, when we were in a race with the Russians and the public was caught up in putting man on the moon, the emphasis on space transportation was sufficient. Nowadays, we really need to focus on the development of technology.'' The briefings capped a three-day lobbying trip for the North Alabama group. The delegation, with 145 members, included business, civic and elected leaders from Huntsville, Madison, Decatur, Hartselle and Athens. Others who spoke to chamber members Tuesday included Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.; Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Senate Armed Services Chairman John Warner, R-Va.; U.S. Rep. Jane Harman, D-California, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee; and Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville. Copyright 2004 al.com. All Rights Reserved.