Office of the Governor press release, September 30, 2005

NEWS RELEASE Office of Public Affairs 21 7 East Redwood Street Baltimore, Maryland 21202 Department of Business & Economic Development FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Andrea Harrison, DBED 410.767.6325 aharrison@choosemarvland.org Lindsey M. Willis, DBED 410.767.6315 lwillis@choosemarvland.org GOVERNOR EHRLICH ANNOUNCES MORE JOBS TO COME TO STATE AS A RESULT OF BRAC State leaders gather to discuss thousands of direct and indirect jobs coming to Maryland BALTIMORE, MD - (September 30, 2005) Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., today announced that the state is expecting larger numbers of jobs to come to the State than previously announced as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. Governor Ehrlich made the announcement at a meeting of the Maryland Military Installation Strategic Planning Council. “It appears now that Maryland will potentially gain more than 10,000 highly technical and high paying new jobs on our bases, in addition to thousands more indirect jobs,” said Governor Ehrlich. “Our efforts to preserve and expand the military’s presence in Maryland will dramatically increase the $18 billion overall economic impact its presence generates today, further enhancing Maryland’s position as a strong economic engine for the mid-Atlantic corridor.” The BRAC Commission delivered its final report to President Bush September 8. The report lists the Commission's recommendations for overhauling the U.S. military's infrastructure and force structure. The President then concurred with and sent the report to Congress on September 1 5 for legislative review. Congress now has 45 legislative days to accept or reject the report in its entirety. Aberdeen Proving Ground’s (APG) Garrison Commander John T. Wright made specific note that, pending Congressional approval, APG is expecting an influx of 5,000 to 10,000 new positions on base, plus several thousand more jobs off base. S “Our jobs in this process are just now beginning,” said Governor Ehrlich. “I thank and applaud Team Maryland for their excellent work in this process up to this point. We now need to focus on implementation - such as roads, schools, and environmental impact. This exchange of