Defense Budget/Conversion[2]

Files in this series were generated from 1987 through 1992. Materials include memos, notes, correspondence, speeches, reports, press releases, and press clippings. This series is grouped into two sections: files concerning the efforts to keep the Loring Air Force Base open in Limestone, Maine; and files concerning plans for economic development in northern Maine after the base closed. The first group focuses on the 1991 decision by the Department of Defense and the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission to close the Loring Air Base and includes transcripts of hearings held by the commission. There are additional materials on the 1988 Commission on Base Realignment and Closure and a lawsuit claiming that the 1991 commission and the defense department did not follow their own guidelines when they decided to close the air base. Throughout this section there are notes, memos, and speeches that document arguments for keeping Loring open. Loring officially closed on September 30, 1994. Many files concern the Save Loring Committee, the Keep Loring Committee, Paul Haines, and Severin Beliveau, who both were heavily involved in the effort to avert Loring's closure. The second part of this series contains materials about efforts by Senator Mitchell, the Maine Congressional Delegations, and local civic leaders to attract private businesses and federal agencies to bring some of their work to northern Maine. In particular they targeted high technology industries, especially biomass research, and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. This second group of files includes information about the Loring Readjustment Committee and the Democratic Defense Conversion Task Force headed by Senator David Pryor. Throughout this series there are files on the Department of Defense, the Air Force, and the Senate Armed Services Committee. The files were maintained by Robert Carolla. Some files were created by Mary LeBlanc, who worked in the Presque Isle field office, and Scott Harris. Senator Mitchell's staff developed a Loring Air Force Base working group which also included Mary McAleney, Brett O'Brien, Kim Wallace, Sandy Brown, Kate Kimball, Paul Carliner, Grace Reef, Steve Hart, Chris Mann, and David Bragdon. Additional files on the Loring Air Base are in the Presque Isle Field Office series and are mixed into the General Maine Defense series. Some files on general Maine defense are intermixed into this series.