PIERRE, S.D. (AP) The South Dakota congressional delegation is urging federal aviation and transportation officials to approve an enormous bomber training area over the Northern Plains.
U.S. Representative Kristi Noem and Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds on Wednesday urged the officials to expand the Powder River Training Complex over the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming. They met with Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Michael Huerta, administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Air Force approved the expansion on January 16th, which put final approval to the FAA.
The authorization would make the training airspace the largest over the continental United States.
It would be used by B-1 bombers at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and B-52 bombers at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota.