TOPSHAM

Sen. Angus King announced Friday that the Senate Armed Services Committee approved the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a provision he authored to improve the eligibility criteria of HUBZones located at former U.S. military installations closed through the Base Closure and Realignment process.

The announcement may come as welcome news to the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority Board when it convenes at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Topsham Town Hall. MRRA considers HUBZone legislation “critically important,” according to an advance copy of Executive Director Steve Levesque’s report to the board. MRRA staff has been working with Maine’s Congressional delegation to find “avenues to proceed in Congress.”

The National Defense Authorization Act passed the Armed Services Committee last week by a vote of 25-1 with King’s support.

According to a statement from King’s office, current law assists communities affected by military installation closures by giving businesses that are established on the closed bases preferential access to federal procurement opportunities via the Small Business Administration’s HUBZone program.

To qualify for these preferences, at least 35 percent of the business’s employees must reside on the closed base or in other economically challenged areas. Businesses that locate on former bases are only granted this special status for five years after the base closes.

King noted that very few people live on former bases, making it difficult for businesses locating to former bases like Brunswick Landing to get the workers they need under current HUBZone requirements.

King’s amendment would allow businesses that locate on a closed base to draw employees from the local community to meet the 35 percent requirement. The amendment would also extend the period of time for which a closed base is eligible for HUBZone status from five years after closure to eight years.

“Military bases are often the economic heart of their towns and cities, and communities can struggle for years to overcome base closures. We’ve met those challenges firsthand at Loring Air Force Base and Brunswick Naval Air Station, and we’ve learned that base closures don’t always have to mean town closures,” King said in a news release. “With the right investments and federal funding, we can redevelop bases and spur economic growth. My provision tailors the HUBZone program to cities and towns that have been hit hard by base closures, improving the program to jumpstart economic development, attract businesses, and create new jobs.”

Also on Wednesday, the board is slated to vote on approving a Natural Resources Management Plan.

The board was looking to formally adopt guidelines for the wildlife habitat at Brunswick Landing during its March meeting, but held off after concerns were raised by Ed Benedikt of Brunswick Area Citizens for a Safe Environment and a member of the Restoration Advisory Board.

Benedikt said his group was concerned about the lack of specificity in the proposed plan, and was also worried that the plan didn’t identify quarry sites or Picnic Pond, areas that are undergoing environmental analysis.

MRRA board members were to meet with Benedikt to discuss his concerns. The site of the former base is home critical wildlife habitat, including sandplain grassland and a pitch pine heath barren.