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Base Closure Commission Schedules Buffalo Hearing

By Associated Press

Buffalo, NY – A military base closure commission will hold a hearing in Buffalo in late June as it weighs shutting down Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.

Governor George Pataki, who plans to testify, says the June 27th hearing will give the community a chance to convince members of the commission to save the base. At least one member of the nine-person Base Realignment and Closure commission will attend.

The Pentagon also released detailed reports Thursday that offer reams of statistical figures designed to back up its decisions in the BRAC process.

But in some cases, the numbers offer as many questions as answers. For instance, the Air Force gives Niagara a slightly higher value as a tanker facility than the Bangor, Maine, site slotted to receive Niagara's tanker planes.

The Department of Defense estimates closing the Niagara base would mean the elimination of some 642 military and civilian jobs and would save the military some $200 million over 20 years.