Governor tours Seymour Johnson
By Steve Herring
Published in News on July 19, 2017 5:05 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Several state and local officials, including Gov. Roy Cooper, second from left, tour the flightline and get a closer look at the F-15E Strike Eagle Wednesday at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
"That is a beautiful sound," Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday morning as he stood on the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base flightline as F-15E Strike Eagles launched into the air.
It is the sound of a mission, he said, that can peacefully co-exist with the state's fledging wind energy industry.
However, Cooper stopped short on committing himself on whether he will sign a bill now on his desk that would impose an 18-month moratorium on state permits for wind energy projects.
But Cooper said he would continue to fight for renewable energy.
When such a project is posed, it goes without question that the state must work closely with the military to ensure it does not interfere with the military's mission, Cooper said.
Cooper said he is confident that the state can work through the issue and that wind energy facilities and the military can co-exist.
And he hinted at the dilemma the bill has placed him and the state in.
"I am listening to interest groups," he said with an F-15E as his backdrop. "This legislation puts us in a difficult position. We want to advance renewable energy, but here this legislation whether you are signing or vetoing it you're causing a problem for one or the other.
"We have got figure out a way to go forward in this state with renewable energy and keeping our military bases strong. It can be done, and it should be done. One thing that I know is that renewable energy and making sure that our state is military friendly can and should co-exist."
The state needs reliable low-cost energy to help make the country self-sufficient -- it does not need to rely on foreign energy sources, Cooper said.
"So renewable is an important part of our state, and I am going to continue to fight for renewables," he said. "We just have to make sure that it doesn't impede with what our military is doing with its training or their bases."
Cooper was accompanied by former state Rep. Phil Baddour of Goldsboro, Sen. Don Davis of Snow Hill, Secretary of Military and Veterans Affairs Larry Hall, Mayor Chuck Allen, Wayne County Public School Superintendent Dr. Michael Dunsmore and members of the county's Military Affairs Committee.
Cooper's visit included a briefing by Capt. John "Blade" McFarland on the Razor Talon training exercise.
Cooper said the main purpose for his visit was to show his "strong support" for the base and the community.
He said he also wanted to demonstrate that the state is a strong partner in an already "excellent" relationship.
"We stand ready to do anything that we can to continue strengthen this base and to continue to support the men and women who work in around, the civilian population, the Reserves," he said. "We have so many people who are integral to the success of the base, and we are going to keep this relationship strong."
"I am here to show my support for Seymour Johnson. I am here to continue our efforts to coordinate. I have with me the secretary of military and veterans affairs. One project we are working on in fact is to provide lighting for these shade areas (covering the aircraft)."
Cooper said the state is working with Duke Energy on that project.
It is just an example of one of the many joint efforts the state and military are working on to make sure the state is moving forward and tat the base is effective as it can be in service to the country, he said.
Other issues include how to address increased air traffic and drones, Cooper said.
"There is a lot that we need to consider as we make sure North Carolina stays military friendly and is available for the pilots (training) to make sure they are ready in the event our country needs them," he said.
"It is constantly evolving what has to happen. As modern warfare advances they need more and better training."
North Carolina is the most military friendly state in the country, he said.
"We want to keep it that way," Cooper said pausing between comments as the planes continued to take off. "One of thing is the active men and women of the military who move here with their families -- they want a good quality of life. They want a good education for their children."
They also want good-paying jobs for their spouses, he said.
Hall is working on jobs programs, too, Cooper said.
So many of military want the same thing everyone else does, he said.
That includes a strong North Carolina with a good education system and a fair tax system and good quality of life, he said.
"I am grateful to be here at one of the premiere Air Force bases in the country, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base," Cooper said. "We are grateful for the men and women who serve the country, and who fight bravely, and who are always on guard. It is critical to the state of North Carolina to work closely with our military bases to encourage expansion, to encourage success.
"We know what a difference it makes to our economy to have these active men and women who are in service to our country, along with their families, here. We also encourage veterans to stay here after they have retired. "One of the things that I now is that they make great employees."
Veterans are disciplined and effective employees, he said.