Pingree Amendment Aimed at Keeping Brunswick Area Commissary Open Passes Key Vote

Press Release

A proposal written by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, intended to extend the life of a Navy commissary in the Brunswick area, passed a key vote in Congress last night. The House Armed Services Committee approved a major defense bill late last night and included language written by Pingree that would allow the commissary at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station to remain open at least through September 2012 and allow the store to start selling additional products to help pay for operating expenses.

"The Navy needs to keep the commissary open," Pingree said. "There are so many active duty and retired military personnel in the area who deserve and depend on the low-cost groceries they can buy at the commissary. Access to a commissary is part of their benefits--it's something they earned."

Pingree's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act was agreed to late last night by the House Armed Services Committee and is expected to pass the full House by early summer. It allows the Pentagon to create a pilot program that allows commissaries at closed military bases to stay open for an additional year, and allows the commissary to sell alcohol and tobacco products, with the proceeds from those sales helping to pay for the operation of the store.

Under House rules, Pingree's proposal was not allowed to specifically mention Brunswick, but instead refers to commissaries at bases that have gone through the base closure process.

"Clearly we wrote this amendment with Brunswick in mind and as soon as it gets passed into law we'll demand that the Pentagon apply it to the commissary in Maine," Pingree said.

Originally the Navy was slated to close the commissary this spring, but legislation that the entire Maine Delegation supported last year helped extend the life of the facility to at least until September of this year.

The Navy commissary sells low-cost groceries and while it is part of the Brunswick Naval Air Station, it is actually located at a facility in Topsham.

Pingree is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

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