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Committee amends and advances bill requiring notice to military base planners about proposed construction
Summary
House Bill 159, as amended, would require developers to notify military base planning commissions when they submit FAA notices for proposed construction; sponsors and base planners said the change improves coordination to avoid encroachment on flight training.
The committee advanced House Bill 159 with an on-the-fly amendment increasing the notice window, a measure intended to increase coordination between renewable-energy and other developers and military base planners to reduce encroachment on training missions.
Representative Martinez presented the bill, which requires project developers or owners of renewable-energy or other projects to notify the chair of the Military Base Planning Commission when the developer files a notice with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for proposed construction that might affect military operations. Witnesses described encroachment — development that interferes with flight training or base operations — as a long-standing challenge.
Stakeholders including the Inner West Energy Alliance and representatives of the Veterans and Military Families Caucus testified in support. Witnesses said they had worked with the sponsor and that a 30-day notice window (the sponsor accepted an amendment on the floor changing a 10-day requirement to 30 days) would give commanders and base planners adequate time to review potential impacts and open lines of communication.
The sponsor said the measure's intent is notification and communication rather than permission or a veto; the Military Base Planning Commission would use the notice to coordinate with base leadership and identify potential mission impacts early in project planning.
Representatives debated the 10- versus 30-day window on the floor and amended the bill to require 30 days’ notice where the bill had earlier called for 10. The committee then voted to advance the amended bill. The chair announced a due pass on the twice-amended bill; the transcript shows that the committee recorded a due pass on the measure but does not provide a detailed numeric roll-call tally in the excerpt here.
