wfn.org | Bombs vs. Louisiana Conference Center

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS 97" by SUSAN PEEK on April 15, 1997 at 14:24
Eastern, about DAILY NEWS RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (451
notes).

Note 450 by UMNS on Nov. 11, 1997 at 16:28 Eastern (4869 characters).

CONTACT: Linda Green						638(10-21-71B){450}
	    Nashville, Tenn. (615)742-5470				Nov. 12, 1997

Air Force plans to drop practice bombs near 
Louisiana United Methodist Conference Center

by United Methodist News Service*

	Terror struck hearts of Louisiana United Methodists last September after
learning that the United States Air Force plans to have B-52 bombers drop
weekly 500-pound cement practice bombs within two miles of the Louisiana
Annual (regional) Conference Center.
The center, a religious meeting and retreat area for youth, adults and the
elderly located in Woodworth, is in perceived danger because the Air Force
wants the bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base to use the nearby Kisatchie
National Forest for training exercises to save taxpayers money. 
The plan is to fly approximately 10 bombing missions a week over the national
forest instead of practicing in the current locations in Utah, Kansas and New
Mexico. The forest is within two miles of the conference center. The nearby
base is home to the 917th Wing, an Air Force Reserve unit.
In addition to noise and environmental damage, David C. Butler, II, mayor of
Woodworth  said, "the safety of people in Woodworth and the surrounding areas
will be in serious jeopardy." 
Butler, a former 29-year employee of Delta Airlines, said, "if something goes
wrong, there is no margin for error. The slightest deviation in their flight
patterns will put these planes on top of us." He said with the Air Force’s
plans, "the stage is being set here for disaster."
	In an attempt to ward off a potential misfortune, the 39-member board of
trustees of the Louisiana Annual Conference Center, on Oct. 11, issued a
resolution to Louisiana Governor Mike Foster, the state’s Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries, state senators, and congressional representatives,
requesting that they take all necessary measures "to stop this intrusion into
the life of the people of the area and the people who use the Conference
Center."
According to reports, huge eight-engine, 484,000 pound B-52 bombers, piloted
by inexperienced crews in training, will fly as low as 500 feet, releasing
500-pound cement practice bombs over the forest as many as 210 times a week.
The Air Force’s plan is to expand the national forest into the existing
Claiborne Range Military Reservation, the area used for training exercises.	
Meetings held in Woodworth, Alexandria, Monroe and Baton Rouge have allowed
concerned citizens to meet with Air Force officials, but United Methodists are
being called to do more.
"It is time to come together now in a spirit of revival to get this plan
stopped," said Fred Loy, Louisiana Conference lay leader. "We need everyone,
all 125,000 United Methodists, to write our U.S. Senators and congressional
delegates." He called on Louisiana United Methodists to send a copy of the
letter to Dale Lawhorne, an appointed contact at the Barksdale base.
	Before a decision on the Air Force’s plan is made, a comprehensive
Environmental Impact Statement must be made, Butler said. If a finding of "No
Significant Impact" is found, he said, the Air Force can implement its plan. 
	Because the area the Air Force wants to incorporate is a national forest, the
final decision will come from the U.S. Forest Service that will have to issue
a special use permit for Kisatchie National Forest.
#  #  #

	* Data for this release is from an article by Bobbie Armstrong, editor of the
Louisiana United Methodist Review.

EDITORS NOTE: The text of the resolution issued and signed by the Board of
Trustees of the Louisiana Conference Center on Oct. 11 follows:
"The Board of Trustees of the Louisiana Annual Conference at Woodworth,
Louisiana, has been advised of the plan and proposal to use the Kisatchie
National Forest as a practice area for B-52 bombers. This is in the immediate
area of the Louisiana Conference Center.
	The Board is informed that the plan is to have 210 bombing runs per week at a
low level;
	The Board is further informed by environmentalists that the noise would
create a destructive force for wildlife and trees;
	It would further damage the serenity of the area, and have an adverse affect
on the economic growth in the Woodworth area and in the area where the
Conference Center is located;
	It is obvious that it would damage and interfere with the use of the
Conference Center, which is a religious meeting and retreat area for youth,
adults and the elderly;
	We address this resolution to Governor Mike Foster, the Louisiana Department
of Wildlife and Fisheries, Senator John Breaux, Senator Mary Landrieu and the
members of the Louisiana Congressional Delegation, with the specific request
that they take all measures necessary to stop this intrusion into the life of
the people of the area and the people who use the Conference Center."

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