MINOT – The Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles based at Minot Air Force Base are due for replacement. A bill before the State Legislature, SB2240, seeks to appropriate money that would finance necessary community planning for the massive project.
Sen. Randy Burckhard, R-Dis. 5, Minot, is one of the sponsors of SB2240. He spoke about the bill during a recent legislative forum in Minot.
“The bill is EDC supported. It passed in the Senate but has struggled in the House,” said Burckhard. “It’s money for planning and advocacy, $900,000 for Minot.”
Burckhard maintained that planning is necessary to cope with a large influx of workers that will be coming to Minot as part of the multi-billion-dollar Sentinel Modernization Project aimed at replacing the aging Minuteman missiles. The senator said proper planning would help avoid housing issues such as hastily constructed “man camps” that sprung up during the state’s oil boom.
Minot Mayor Tom Ross offered testimony to legislators considering the bill. Ross noted the City of Minot is “making major investments to prepare for the influx of additional activity, employees, and new families to our community and our state.”
“We’re conducting a housing study and community planning efforts to prepare for the thousands of new residents the Sentinel project is expected to bring to Minot,” said Ross.
The replacement program is still several years away. Two other bases, F.E. Warren in Wyoming and Malmstrom in Montana will receive the new Sentinels before the project shifts to Minot.
“Existing launch facilities, missile alert facilities, communications systems, infrastructure, and technologies will be modernized and replaced as necessary to support the new Sentinel weapon system,” said Kevin Black, Minot Area Chamber Economic Development Commission.
SB2240 passed the Senate 47-0 but has not yet been voted on by the House where the bill is being reviewed by the Appropriations Committee.
SENATE BILL NO. 2240
Introduced by Senators Burckhard, Hogue, Meyer
Representatives Bellew, Pyle, M. Ruby
A BILL for an Act to provide an appropriation to the department of commerce for the base retention grant program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF NORTH DAKOTA: SECTION 1. APPROPRIATION - DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE - BASE RETENTION GRANT PROGRAM - ONE-TIME FUNDING. There is appropriated out of any moneys in the general fund in the state treasury, not otherwise appropriated, the sum of $1,900,000, or so much of the sum as may be necessary, to the department of commerce for the purpose of providing base retention grant funding to communities with an air force base or air national guard facilities, for the biennium beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2025. Of the funding appropriated in this section, $900,000 is to be distributed to eligible organizations in Minot and $1,000,000 is to be distributed equally to eligible organizations in Grand Forks and Fargo. This funding is considered a one-time funding item.
