[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 21, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H3339-H3340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


             WESTERN COMMERCIAL SPACE CENTER LEASE SIGNING

  (Mrs. SEASTRAND asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. SEASTRAND. Mr. Speaker, last Friday the 25-year lease agreement 
between the Department of the Air Force and the Western Commercial 
Space Center was finally signed. Although the agreement had been agreed 
upon in principle for months, it was nearly derailed by an overzealous 
civilian bureaucracy. In essence, what would have taken less than 30 
days in the private sector took several months because of the arcane 
manner in which government tends to operate.
  This lease agreement paves the way for construction to begin on the 
first polar orbit commercial spaceport in 
[[Page H3340]] America. Moreover, this agreement will usher in a new 
era of commercial launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California 
and will be a catalyst for greater private industry investment in 
commercial space activity across America.
  Mr. Speaker, many people deserve thanks and credit for going the 
extra mile to work out this lease agreement. As we have discovered once 
again, when the national interest is involved--in this case the U.S. 
commitment to commercial space--both sides of the aisle can come 
together to do what is best for America.

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