Air Force seeks airspace closure for training

MOSES LAKE — The commission overseeing the Port of Moses Lake will be holding a public hearing sometime in late May to consider a request from the U.S. Air Force to temporarily close air space over and around the Grant County International Airport for training.

According to Port Director Jeffry Bishop, the Air Force wants to test the maneuverability of its new KC-47 tanker under “simulated enemy activity.”

“They are asking for four, four-hour blocks on a Saturday and Sunday, with one to hours in-between,” Bishop told commissioners during a regular meeting Monday morning.

The Air Force has used Grant County for special training in early October, 2016, Bishop said.

“What’s unique about this is that during the exercise, it would be more complicated, with moving aircraft and moving ground equipment,” Bishop said.

The airspace would be closed during the four-hour training blocks, Bishop said, but the air traffic control center would still be in charge, and could cancel the tests in the event of an emergency.

“Flight testing and supporting the military is a big part of our mission. Sixty-six percent of our income comes from the military,” Bishop said. “We do not enter into these lightly.”

“I think it’s a big deal, anything we can do to support the military without screwing things up around here we should do,” said Commission Chair David “Kent” Jones.

The port will announce a formal date for the public hearing soon.

Bishop also updated commissioners on the status of the $30 million project to extend rail access to the Port of Moses Lake.

“In order to move the line 87 feet, it increased the costs by seven figures and added a six-month delay,” Bishop said. “It is virtually impossible to make any major deviation at this point without losing our grant funding and putting the project at peril.”

The Wheeler Corridor portion of the line was moved 87 feet south in order to avoid several driveways, irrigation pivots, and one building that did not exist when the original route was planned in 2009.

“The route is the route and very little can be done about it,” he added.

Bishop also addressed rumors afoot that the railroad project will require tunnels.

“Look at our geography,” he said. “There are no tunnels being proposed in this project.”