Portsmouth Herald - At Portsmouth Forum, N.H. Senators Find Common Ground

News Article

By Charles McMahon

New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte on Friday not only shared a stage, but also common views, on how to tackle several local and national issues affecting the Seacoast region.

The morning event featured both Shaheen, D-N.H., and Ayotte, R-N.H., addressing a crowd of nearly 100 spectators that gathered for a breakfast forum organized by the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce.

Each senator took turns discussing various ongoing issues in Washington, particularly the proposed future Base Realignment and Closure rounds that could threaten the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Shaheen said BRAC rounds have been proposed for 2013 and 2015, but she added that nothing is set in stone just yet.

Despite that uncertainty, Shaheen said efforts to protect the shipyard from cutbacks should continue unabated.

"It's never too late to remind people just how important the shipyard is," Shaheen said.

Shaheen called PNS the "most productive" shipyard in the country, adding she wants to make sure it continues to get the support it needs.

Ayotte said the cost to implement the last series of BRAC rounds is still coming to light and may be much more than what was originally anticipated.

"We grossly underestimated that cost," she said.

Ayotte said she considers the shipyard to be "incredibly critical to our national security."

Another topic of discussion during the morning forum involved whether the New Hampshire Air National Guard will receive new air refueling tankers when they become available in the next several years.

Ayotte said she will continue to push for a new fleet of KC-46A tankers to be based at Pease Air National Guard Base in Newington. The new tankers are being built to replace the aging KC-135 Stratotankers, which are more than 50 years old.

She said the Air Force in the next two months will announce the criteria on how it will determine where the new tankers should be located.

Ayotte said the Air Force is expected to identify candidate installations this summer, select preferred alternatives by the end of this year and make final decisions regarding basing the initial fleet by the end of 2013.

"Having these new tankers is critical," she said.

Shaheen said because both she and Ayotte sit on the Senate Armed Forces Committee, they often get to make the case about why the new tankers should be located in the Granite State.

"We think there are some real advantages to having them here at Pease," Shaheen said.

In addition to covering several political issues, both senators also discussed how they try to cultivate a bipartisan working environment.

"We do work together across party lines," said Shaheen, adding the Senate has had many successes throughout the past year such as the payroll tax cut and reauthorizing unemployment benefits and the Federal Aviation Administration budget.

Ayotte agreed, saying there are many areas in which she and Shaheen cooperate.

"There are many areas where we have found common ground," she said.

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