Senator Dole made an excellent announcement yesterday:

Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., said Thursday that she will fight the Navy's plan to build an airfield near an Eastern North Carolina wildlife refuge. Dole's long-awaited stance is important because she's the state's senior senator and serves on the influential Armed Services Committee.

"This kind of opposition from the congressional delegation does not bode well for the chances of this site getting funded," Dole said in an interview. Dole, who will oppose that funding, said she'd already told Navy Secretary Donald Winter of her position. The letter she sent Winter on Thursday only made that official, she said.

This is great news for the campaign to prevent the Navy from building a jet landing strip directly adjacent to the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Here is some background information on the Navy's plan:

Background: In September, 2004 the Navy proposed construction of a new outlying landing field (OLF) in eastern North Carolina within 3.5 miles of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge - a haven for more than 100,000 waterfowl, endangered red wolves and other wildlife.

In 2005 U.S. District Court Judge Boyle issued a permanent injunction against the Navy until it complied with the requirements of a comprehensive analysis of the environmental impacts of the project, a decision upheld by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in September, 2005. The Navy conducted the court-ordered supplemental environmental analysis in February, 2007 and once again selected the site adjacent to the Refuge.

Sean McMahon, Director of Land Stewardship Campaigns for the National Wildlife Federation, made the following statement on March 28th:

"This site does not work for pilots, farmers, taxpayers, sportsmen or wildlife, and must be abandoned. The Navy must select an alternative site that does not threaten pilot safety, undermine the readiness of our military, destroy tens of thousands of waterfowl and severely limit opportunities to hunt and view wildlife."

Here are a few other related articles of interest: http://noolf.com/index.cfm?nid=1550&do=s&p=1&sid=356 http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/558532.html