Posted on 04/16/2006 9:23:01 AM PDT by BenLurkin
MOJAVE - The Mojave Airport will receive an $11 million state loan to build a spaceport terminal, hangar and related infrastructure should a bill by state Sen. Roy Ashburn pass in the Legislature.
The Bakersfield Republican's bill, Senate Bill 1671, faces its first hurdle Tuesday in a hearing before the Senate Transportation and Housing committee.
The funding is necessary to position the airport for future spaceport activities, such as the tourism spaceflight operations of Virgin Galactic and other emerging space endeavors.
Mojave Airport became the first - and remains the only - inland spaceport in the country when it was licensed in June 2004.
It is also home to The Spaceship Co., the joint-venture between Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic to produce commercial spacecraft for the space tourism industry based on SpaceShipOne technology.
Other states, most visibly New Mexico, are working on their own spaceports to claim a role in the new industry. California must work to keep ahead of these other efforts if the state is to continue to play a role, Witt said.
According to a background report for the bill provided by Ashburn's office, "When compared to the $110 million states like New Mexico are spending to build a new spaceport, SB 1671 is a minimal investment by California to keep this industry from leaving the state."
As a special district, the East Kern Airport District which governs the Mojave Airport is unable to request a loan as large as is needed for this project, Witt said. Therefore, legislation is required for the loan.
The anticipated increase in space launch activity at Mojave Airport is also indicated in the district's request to reopen its spaceport license with the Federal Aviation Administration.
According to the request, the spaceport anticipates launches to become routine activity in 2009-2011.
(Excerpt) Read more at avpress.com ...
And besides... anything Roy Ashburn wants, compared to what the rest of out leftist CA delegation wants, is pretty much Ok by me!!!
You are taking this far too personally.
BILL NUMBER: SB 1671 INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Ashburn FEBRUARY 24, 2006 An act relating to spaceports, and making an appropriation therefor. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1671, as introduced, Ashburn Spaceports: Mojave Spaceport. Existing law authorizes any city, county, city and county, special district, joint powers authority, or private entity to apply for designation as a spaceport and authorizes the California Spaceport Authority to designate spaceports for the operation of lauch sites or reentry sites. Existing law provides for the establishment of airport districts having responsibility for the development of airports, spaceports, and air navigation facilities, but prohibits an airport district from exercising any authority for the development of spaceports unless it has been designated as a spaceport. Existing law establishes a unit within the Department of Transportation known as the Spaceport Office, with the primary responsibility to seek and obtain federal funding for the commercialization of private space activities in the state. The Bergeson-Peace Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank Act establishes the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, and authorizes the infrastructure bank to enter into a loan agreement, as defined, with a participating party, as defined, for financing certain projects and facilities. This bill would appropriate $11 million from the General Fund to the Department of Transportation for purposes of a 30-year loan to the East Kern Airport District to construct the Mojave Spaceport Terminal and for associated infrastructure to support advanced research and development along with commercial operations. The bill would authorize the department to arrange for the loan to be accomplished pursuant to a loan agreement administered by the infrastructure bank. The loan is required to be for a period of 30 years, with repayment to begin one month following the initial occupancy of the first tenant of the terminal. Vote: 2/3. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
And to put them in the position to benefit from Federal Pork.
Richard Branson, Paul Allen.... rich man's folly.
Actually, not. I have no dog in this fight and I simply siezed on your use of the word in capital letters... "LITTERED" in referring to our governments efforts at defending our way of life in a kind of pejoritive way. Nothing personal about it!!!
Just casually letting you know how it struck me, that's all. Besides, if I had taken it somehow "personally," you would have wittnessed a much stronger reaction that would REALLY have caused you to recoil in HORROR, while gasping for BREATH!!!(laughing out loud while typing)
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