PIERRE, S.D. — The U.S. Air Force is in its "final step" of deciding whether to move forward with an expansion of a bomber training area over the Northern Plains that would help solidify Ellsworth Air Force Base's future in the region, South Dakota U.S. Sen. John Thune said Wednesday.Thune said Air Force officials will make a decision late next month about expanding the Powder River Training Complex, which spans portions of Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas. It would be used by B-1 bombers at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and B-52 bombers at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. Although Thune remained cautious about declaring victory on a project he's worked on for eight years, he said there's a "degree of certainty" about the expansion now. A spokesman for the base didn't immediately comment.
The expansion would quadruple the training airspace, making it the largest over the continental United States. Thune said it would also help stabilize the future of Ellsworth — it was on the closure list as recently as 2005 — by addressing the lack of training opportunities that officials identified then. Thune said the training expansion would provide an additional layer of "BRAC-proofing," or protection against Base Realignment and Closure, for the Rapid City-area base that is a significant economic driver for the region.
Air Force officials have said the expansion of the training airspace to about 28,000 square miles is needed to keep its force ready for combat. It also would save the military roughly $20 million a year in fuel costs by reducing the number of sorties now being sent to Utah and Nevada for exercises. Thune said training in the expanded airspace could begin in the spring or summer, pending necessary approval.
The Air Force will publish a final environmental impact study on Nov. 28, which will trigger a 30-day waiting period until a final decision is made. The Federal Aviation Administration also must approve the long-delayed plan, which has been under environmental review for years.
"Until it's done and the ink's dry we're not taking anything for granted," said Thune, who began preliminary work on the expansion in 2006. "I'm not going to get too overly excited, but this ... is a very important step forward and an indication that we're nearing the end."
The project has faced significant opposition. Critics argue that it could interfere with aircraft traffic, endanger other small and large aircraft and have a negative impact on businesses in the area of the expansion. A B-1B from Ellsworth crashed in August of 2013 in southeastern Montana near Broadus, Montana — within the existing bounds of the training area. Four crew members ejected from the high-speed aircraft and survived.
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, said in a statement on Wednesday that he's pleased the Air Force has addressed some of the objections that Montanans raised about the initial proposal, but said he still has concerns about how the expansion will affect ranchers, tribal lands and regular pilots.
Montana Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division Administrator Debbie Alke said though Montana supports the military, the Dakotas will see much of the benefit from an expanded training airspace.
"If they need more (space), expand to the east instead of the west," Alke said. "The bases aren't located in Montana. We get none of that economic impact."
