Alabama Republican congressman introduces spaceport funding bill to help a non-spaceport
In an example of the typically corrupt behavior of the Washington swamp, Alabama Republican congressman Dale Strong yesterday introduced a bill dubbed the Spaceport Project Opportunities for Resilient Transportation (SPACEPORT) act that has a lot of high-minded goals, but is mainly designed to funnel federal money to local regions. To quote Strong himself:
“The U.S. is the global leader in space, and North Alabama is at the forefront of that effort,” Strong said. “As former Chairman of the Madison County Commission, I worked closely with local city officials and commercial space stakeholders to secure Huntsville International Airport’s designation as the first entry site for space vehicle landings. I understand the preparation, coordination, and support required to safely and efficiently manage space launches and reentries. North Alabama is ready to leverage our unparalleled civil, commercial, and national security space expertise to support space infrastructure projects and the future of space exploration.” [emphasis mine]
Huntsville International Airport is not a spaceport. Giving it cash for this is nothing more than pork and a waste of the taxpayer’s money.
Strong’s bill is merely a proposal, and has been announced I think mostly to give this guy a photo-op. Nonetheless, it shows that we cannot trust any politician to do what they say. The Republicans always run on cutting the budget, but here we have a Republican eagerly proposing we spend money we don’t have in order to provide pork to his district. It is essential that his own constituents tell him in no uncertain terms that this kind of legislation is not what they hired him for. If they don’t, then things in Washington will only continue to do downhill.
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In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
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In an example of the typically corrupt behavior of the Washington swamp, Alabama Republican congressman Dale Strong yesterday introduced a bill dubbed the Spaceport Project Opportunities for Resilient Transportation (SPACEPORT) act that has a lot of high-minded goals, but is mainly designed to funnel federal money to local regions. To quote Strong himself:
“The U.S. is the global leader in space, and North Alabama is at the forefront of that effort,” Strong said. “As former Chairman of the Madison County Commission, I worked closely with local city officials and commercial space stakeholders to secure Huntsville International Airport’s designation as the first entry site for space vehicle landings. I understand the preparation, coordination, and support required to safely and efficiently manage space launches and reentries. North Alabama is ready to leverage our unparalleled civil, commercial, and national security space expertise to support space infrastructure projects and the future of space exploration.” [emphasis mine]
Huntsville International Airport is not a spaceport. Giving it cash for this is nothing more than pork and a waste of the taxpayer’s money.
Strong’s bill is merely a proposal, and has been announced I think mostly to give this guy a photo-op. Nonetheless, it shows that we cannot trust any politician to do what they say. The Republicans always run on cutting the budget, but here we have a Republican eagerly proposing we spend money we don’t have in order to provide pork to his district. It is essential that his own constituents tell him in no uncertain terms that this kind of legislation is not what they hired him for. If they don’t, then things in Washington will only continue to do downhill.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
It is a potential Dream Chaser landing site.
George Harrison (1987)
“Got My Mind Set on You” (version 2)
(Rudy Clark)
https://youtu.be/_71w4UA2Oxo
3:51
“But it’s gonna take money
A whole lotta spendin’ money
It’s gonna take plenty of money
To do it right, child.
It’s gonna take time
Whole lot of precious time
It’s gonna take patience and time, mmm
To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it
To do it right, child.”
I live right here. You are probably right. I will say that HSV has a very long runway, 12000ft. It was lengthened as a convenient overflow airport for heavies redirected from ATL. Anything with wings can land there.
Blame Sierra Space for this. They went around the world a few years ago signing up airports as “DreamChaser landing sites” and putting out press releases for each one. It was a way to keep their name in the news when they weren’t making much progress on their actual vehicle.
As far as this bill is concerned, it’s just another opportunity for a press release. Congress is only in town to pass a budget extension. Then they’re going home for the holidays. Nothing else will be done, and all bills not signed into law by then become null and void. A new Congress starts January 3rd.
PS: I just got the “posting too quickly” error again. My last post was 24 hours ago.
To Jeremy,
Birmingham has a pretty good runway…I think some hoped to get a Concorde flight here once…on the old TC & JOHN-ED program (our Bob & Ray).
The best thing that can happen here would be for this story to be spread far and wide, thus exposing the proposed pork barrel spending, and the fact that Congressman Strong has apparently not received the message that voters are unhappy with this sort of thing.
Just as Senator Ernst was very widely exposed in the Pete Hegseth nomination battle recently, Strong needs to be revealed for the sort of representative he is.
Hi Jeff –
yes indeed, Birmingham is a major airport. As I understand it, HSV was chosen and expanded as an additional overflow option if for instance ATL is closed for weather or other reasons, it is about 30 minutes flight time, and there may be a great deal of overflow. I checked, the runway is actually 12600ft, and you can land a 747 still heavy with fuel or whatever. HSV is oversized for the amount of normal expected traffic. I don’t recall any discussions about Sierra Space. I’m sure there is a boondoggle here – Alabama loves its government dollars as much as the next state.
I flew to Huntsville last week. I have no idea how long the runway(s) is/are, but the airport is small. When Dream Chaser is shuttling people back-and-forth from/to the soon-to-be stations in orbit, they’ll need to expand the terminal, too.
I’m not sure why the Feds should have anything to do with that, but they seem to have their nose in everything, these days. I would not be the least bit surprised if there had been federal dollars involved in replacing the road in front of my house, last year. It was done for some water/sewer reason, which sounds like something that might come with EPA funding.
And seriously people, what’s up with the skyways? Those things have got to cost millions each. They are far too complicated in order to fit any plane parked in any orientation. Just make people walk out on the tarmac and use stairs. It’s ALABAMA. Weather is not an issue.
Related:
“The only way to grow is to face oneself and objectively see what must be seen and do what must be done. And we are clearly at that fork in the road, and we must choose. Do you want to be free and prosperous or bankrupt, Socialist and compliant?
Einstein once said: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
The time has come to STOP doing the same thing.”
https://www.sigma3ioc.com/post/finally-shut-down-the-government