Back in October, I commented about the proposed Coal to Liquid (CTL) plant at Malmstrom AFB.

It appears that Montana’s Governor and Congressional delegation embraced the idea of a CTL plant on Malmstrom AFB. But, if the plant was built, it appears it would prevent Malmstrom AFB from using the runway and flight line area for what it was originally built: PLANES!

At that time I wrote about the Air Force’s Assistant Secretary William Anderson being the “Salesman” and that he would, “be long gone before the first shovel of dirt is turned.” I was correct about him being gone, but it was a little sooner than I expected. He resigned a few days ago. It does not appear he left on good terms, either.

The Great Falls Tribune briefly mentioned his resignation in their Sunday edition.

According to this article from TheHill.com, there were some senior Air Force officials lobbying Congress to overturn or delay some Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) decisions.

Although BRAC decisions have harmed Malmstrom AFB in the past, it is probably one of the better things Congress has done to cut some of the excess from the Department of Defense. But, if there’s another round of BRAC in the future, I am not too sure that Malmstrom would survive.

It’s not clear how Anderson’s departure will affect CTL plans for Malmstrom.

Forward Thinking

Today there is a story in the Great Falls Tribune about the County Commissioners plan “to give residents the chance to vote Nov. 4 on whether the county should issue bonds to finance the purchase of valuable land near a Malmstrom Air Force Base runway that’s being eyed for housing development.”

Good for them. The land near the runway should be protected and voters should get a chance to vote on it since it will be costly.