[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 98 (Friday, June 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1592-E1593]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          EARMARK DECLARATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. BRIAN P. BILBRAY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 25, 2009

  Mr. BILBRAY. Madam Speaker, I submit the following:
  Bill Number: H.R. 2647--National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2010
  Account: OPAF, Line 12
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: California National Guard
  Address of Requesting Entity: 9800 Goethe Road, Box 42, Sacramento, 
CA 95826
  Description of Request: I received an earmark of $4 million to 
upgrade the Eagle Vision III system which is operated by the 147th 
Combat Communications Squadron, in San Diego, California. In October of 
2007, San Diego suffered through one of the worst wildfire disasters in 
California history. With thousands of homes lost and hundreds of 
thousands of lives changed, the California National Guard requested 
upgrades to Eagle Vision, the San Diego based system that has already 
proven itself as an asset for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
CAL Fires/OES, and the Army Strategic Command. The Eagle Vision III 
system directly and indirectly supported the 2008 Midwest Flooding, 
Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, and Ike and has participated in numerous 
military exercises. To augment the current system, this request seeks 
to provide resources for an increased imaging system that will provide 
higher resolution images, with more frequent access to images for first 
responders, while at the same time allowing for image data collection 
through clouds, haze and smoke. These capabilities are essential for 
the military and will be critical to the San Diego region for combating 
natural disasters such as wildfires, floods and hurricanes.

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