AUGUSTA – Preparing for “a major battle,” Gov. John Baldacci said he will meet today with members of Maine and New Hampshire congressional delegations to sketch out a coordinated plan to fight the base closure proposals facing three communities.
Baldacci on Wednesday outlined the next step in an effort to head off the Pentagon’s planned closing of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery and Defense Finance and Accounting Center in Limestone, and reduction in the Brunswick Naval Air Station’s mission and employment.
The combined effect could be a loss of nearly 12,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Baldacci said he wants a coordinated campaign with the affected communities unified under the state’s umbrella, working closely with the state’s four-member congressional delegation to turn around the curtailment plan.
“You don’t want divisions, you don’t want factions,” the governor said, adding that Maine’s delegation of U.S. senators and congressmen will lead the effort.
“What I’m trying to do is get Maine organized. This is a major battle,” Baldacci said.
Hundreds of New Hampshire workers could be affected by the Kittery shipyard’s closing, and representatives of the four members of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation said the delegation planned to be at Thursday’s meeting in Washington. New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch said he planned to listen in to the meeting by telephone.
Baldacci said the meeting was not intended to delve into details the Pentagon used in justifying its proposed curtailments, which will be reviewed by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission before it makes final recommendations to President Bush by Sept. 8. If Bush accepts the panel’s list, it will go to Congress for final consideration before the end of the year.
“This is an organizational plan for how Maine … and New Hampshire are going to approach the issue,” said Baldacci.
Baldacci met informally with reporters a day after he presented preliminary figures showing the potential economic impact of the curtailments could add up to $465 million in direct and indirect losses annually.
The governor said Defense Department grants have been approved to help the affected communities adjust to pending closures or reductions. Kittery was due to receive $175,000, Brunswick $150,000, and the Limestone area could become eligible for grants because of the possible DFAS closing, Baldacci said.
In addition, the state may be eligible to receive another $1 million in U.S. Labor Department funds. The money is to be used to better understand labor market impacts, and not for job training.
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