The Associated Press reports that the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton is on the Pentagon's list of proposed base closures.
The Groton submarine base is homeport to 18 attack submarines and the home of the Naval Submarine School, three submarine squadrons staffs and other support facilities.
According to New London's The Day, closing the base would have a profound effect on the region's $10 billion-plus economy and reverberate across the state, even jeopardizing the close relationship between the Groton base and the nearby Electric Boat shipyard:
The sprawling submarine base has been a key component of eastern Connecticut's economy for decades. The first submarines were housed at the base in 1915, and today it employs 7,800 active duty military personnel as well as more than 650 reservists. In addition, the base has a civilian work force of about 1,400 and more than 1,000 contractors work there.
The base's annual military and civilian payroll is about $452 million, and local experts have said that the replacement value of its 230 major buildings and huge campus would be about $914 million. Local experts also point out that its combined electricity, water, gas and sewer bills exceed $17 million annually.
Connecticut officials have been lobbying hard for months to keep the base opened. Maybe you just can't be effective on issues like this when the state is perceived as one of the most blue of the blue states and even your Republican Congressmen take on national Republican leaders like House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
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