A JOINT RESOLUTION urging the united states navy to find a more suitable location than washington, beaufort, AND perquimans counties to build its outlying landing field.
Whereas, the United States Navy plans to build an outlying landing field (OLF) in eastern North Carolina to allow pilots to practice night landings on aircraft carriers; and
Whereas, the proposed OLF will consist of 30,000 acres in Washington County within a few miles of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, where thousands of migratory waterfowl, including snow geese and tundra swans, spend the winter; and
Whereas, some of the adverse effects of the proposed OLF site include a loss of foraging habitat for the migratory waterfowl, a loss of prime farmland for people in Washington, Beaufort, and Perquimans Counties, and an increased threat to the safety of the pilots practicing at the site due to collisions with the birds; and
Whereas, opposition for locating the OLF in Washington, Beaufort, and Perquimans Counties continues to mount; Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
SECTION 1.  The General Assembly urges the North Carolina congressional delegation to withhold funding for the United States Navy's proposed outlying landing field in Washington County until a more suitable location in North Carolina can be found.
SECTION 2.  The Secretary of State shall transmit a certified copy of this resolution to North Carolina's congressional delegation and to the Secretary of the Navy.
SECTION 3.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.