WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today underscored the importance of continued and strengthened partnerships that support the growth of Grand Forks Air Force Base as a nationwide leader in critical national security missions, as well as a model for local and private partnerships during a meeting with top U.S. Air Force officials.

During a meeting at the Pentagon, Heitkamp met with Grand Forks Base Realignment Impact Committee (BRIC) representatives, as well as Miranda Ballentine, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment, and Energy, and Jennifer Miller, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, and U.S. Senator John Hoeven. Heitkamp, a co-founder of the Senate Defense Communities Caucus, discussed the need to continue momentum at Grand Forks Air Force Base for community partnership initiatives – collaborations which have resulted in Grand Forks County and the base successfully sharing services from training to fire control and have been highly cost effective. Heitkamp also thanked the U.S. Air Force for its collaboration with the Grand Forks community and private companies that has helped make Grand Forks a global hub of cutting-edge unmanned aerial systems (UAS) innovation. In addition to today’s meeting, Heitkamp also met yesterday with the Grand Forks BRIC officials in her office.

“Today I had the opportunity to discuss with top Air Force officials how Grand Forks is quickly paving the way for the rest of the country as an innovator in the thriving UAS sector, as well as a model for community and private investment in our critical defense communities,” said Heitkamp. “Through exemplary cost-saving measures that have allowed the Grand Forks community to benefit from sharing services and resources with the base – from emergency response to pest control – the Air Force Base continues to be a treasured and integral part of the Grand Forks community. In addition, the first-of-its-kind UAS business being developed at Grand Sky has attracted long-term investments in our area from technological giants like Northrop Grumman and General Atomics. It’s absolutely critical that we build on this momentum, which is why I’ve successfully pushed the FAA to help open up greater UAS testing that will get the technology up and running for farmers and energy utilities across the country, and it’s why I’ll keep working with the Air Force to provide the support Grand Forks needs to lead the country in UAS development.”

Long an advocate for public-private partnerships such as the Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) that paved the way for Grand Sky opening as the first UAS business park of its kind in the nation, Heitkamp met with Assistant Secretary Ballentine in January about the importance of Grand Sky for both the Air Force and North Dakota. 

Heitkamp also helped secure the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) approval of additional authority for North Dakota to provide airspace and flexibility for the Northern Plains UAS Test Site by personally calling on the head of the FAA to do so. Just two months later, the FAA heeded her request, helping North Dakota draw more private industry partnerships. A cofounder of the Senate Defense Communities Caucus, Heitkamp continues to work to encourage the safe commercial use of UAS, introducing bipartisan legislation in February to remove undue red-tape for UAS research, open the door to more private investments, and save taxpayers money.

Heitkamp has consistently worked to clear the way for UAS technology development, investment, and partnerships in North Dakota by:

• Successfully removing barriers to UAS technology development and investments. Heitkamp successfully pressed FAA Administrator Michael Huerta for results on his agency’s efforts to improve the integration of UAS into the nation’s airspace, urging his agency last November to avoid delays that could hinder the growth of the industry. Just three months later, the FAA heeded her call – announcing the UAS rule proposals she had asked for.

• Advancing in-state UAS technology development through FAA partnerships. After announcing in December 2013 the FAA’s selection of Grand Forks as a one of six official UAS Test Sites, Heitkamp brought FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to North Dakota in April 2014 to see firsthand the state’s unmanned aerial potential, and he announced the Northern Plains Test Site was the first UAS test site to be officially up-and-running.

• Delivering results to strengthen public-private partnerships on UAS test sites. In November 2014, Heitkamp discussed efforts to finalize the Grand Sky project during a meeting with Grand Forks Base Realignment Impact Committee (BRIC) representatives. Heitkamp also pushed Air Force and Northrop Grumman leaders in several meetings on the positive impact that a fully-functioning Grand Sky business park would have for the Air Force and the private sector. In a July 2014 meeting, Heitkamp and then-Commander Colonel Paul Bauman discussed the best strategies for completing the EUL approval process and creating a plan for its successful management. In October, Heitkamp met with current Commander Colonel Rodney Lewis and discussed ways to support development at Grand Sky. That same month, Heitkamp highlighted the need for the continued encouragement of public-private partnerships at Northrop Grumman’s groundbreaking at Grand Sky that made the company the first official tenant of the business and aviation park.

###