U.S. Senator Katie Britt announced that as a result of U.S. lawmakers passing several Fiscal Year 2024 budgets, Alabama will see an additional $786 million in investment, with $232 million of that sum being secured directly by Britt.
“As I have emphasized since taking office, my priority has been and continues to be restoring regular order to the appropriations process and passing accountable, prudent bills that live up to our promise to the American people. Instead of going to New York or California, more of Alabamians’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars will be coming home because of the strategic wins we were able to secure in this legislation,” Sen. Britt (R-Montgomery) said.
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“I am proud to support these major victories for Alabama’s military installations, veterans, family farmers, incredible law enforcement, infrastructure, economic development, and local communities. Ultimately, through the most robust, transparent committee and floor amendment processes that we’ve seen in years, this legislative package will make key investments in Alabama and grow 21st century opportunities across our state.”
“The American people deserve better than a broken federal spending process, and I will continue fighting to return fiscal sanity and common sense to our nation’s capital.”
A detailed breakdown of Alabama projects secured by Senator Britt funded by the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies bill can be found below.
Fort Novosel ($68.2 million):
- Barracks Complex – $41.2 million
- Funding will finish construction of a barracks complex for soldiers at Fort Novosel.
- Army Radar Approach Control – $7 million
- Construct an Army Radar Approach Control Facility (ARAC) to support Army Aviation training mission.
- Hazardous Materials Storage Facility – $3.85 million
- Construct a new Hazardous Materials Warehouse (HMW) and Hazardous Waste Warehouse.
- MEDEVAC Ready Building – $6.1 million
- Construct a Ready Building to support 24-hour operations for an on-call Air Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) crew at Cairns Army Airfield.
- Aircraft Parts Storage Facility – $4.95 million
- Funding will finish construction on a facility to house aircraft parts.
- Vehicle Maintenance Storage Facility – $5.1 million
- Funding will finish construction on a facility to store vehicles.
Maxwell Air Force Base ($13.9 million):
- Construct Air Command and Staff College – $5.1 million
- Construction of one-story addition and two-story addition to Air University’s Air Command & Staff College (ACSC).
- Replace (construct) Gunter Fitness Center – $8.8 million
- Construct a facility to ensure the fitness and readiness of service members.
Redstone Arsenal ($25.3 million):
- Airport Runway Extension (overruns) – $5.5 million
- Construct an overrun on the north and south end of runway to support Redstone Arsenal Airfield’s multiple DOD and DOJ missions.
- Airfield Fire and Rescue Station – $5.6 million
- To provide a three company Airfield Fire and Rescue Station.
- Access Control Building – $4 million
- To build a new access control building to support Redstone Arsenal.
- Natural Gas Expansion and Meter Station – $4.8 million
- Build and update the gas meter stations on Redstone.
- Test Area 7 Relocation – $ 5.4 million
- Funds to relocate Test Area 7 on Redstone.
The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Act includes more than $369 million in construction projects at military installations across Alabama supported by Senator Britt. These include $65 million for the military housing privatization initiative at Maxwell Air Force Bases Air Education and Training Command, $50 million for a substation power project at Redstone Arsenal, $57 million for Army Reserve Center in Birmingham, and $147.975 million for ground test facility infrastructure on Redstone Arsenal.
In addition to the military related funding, Britt also helped to secure:
- $42 million to modernize and upgrade transportation infrastructure in local communities across Alabama
- $7.5 million for the National Scenic Byways program and $100 million for the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS), which includes the Birmingham Northern Beltline.
- $28 million in directed spending for specific surface transportation infrastructure in communities across the state
- $10 million in directed spending to address violent crime by investing in state and local law enforcement, counter the fentanyl crisis, and invest in economic development programs
- $4.2 million for the City of Birmingham’s Real Time Crime Center to support local and state law enforcement officers and their ability to respond quickly, or even immediately, to crimes in progress or to those that recently occurred
- Almost $73 million in directed spending for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This includes over $20 million to revitalize and repair the George W. Andrews Lock and Dam and over $18 million to support maintenance dredging, disposal area maintenance, and recreation facilities on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.
- $1 million for research into how peanut farmers in Alabama and around the country can best combat the drought conditions currently impacting their crops
- $18 million for water infrastructure projects
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.
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