04.13.15

Hoeven: Corps to Help Spray for Mosquitoes on Federal Lands in Western ND

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the Army Corps of Engineers, at the senator’s request, has agreed to provide funding to help spray for mosquitoes on more than 100,000 acres of federal lands in Western North Dakota.

Hoeven pressed for the Corps’ support during a meeting with Northwestern Division Commander John Kem, who oversees the upper Missouri River basin and several Corps of Engineers projects in North Dakota. The Corps has previously supported the spraying operations to mitigate the mosquitoes on Corps-owned land by funding the chemicals and the per diem for the Air Force Reserve personnel. The Williams County Vector Control Board now supplies the chemicals and Hoeven pressed the Corps to continue funding the per diem costs for the Air Force Reserve personnel.

“We met with General Kem last month to press for the Corps’ support in spraying for mosquitoes,” said Hoeven. “The Corps has agreed to fund the per diem costs and is working with the Air Force and the local Vector Board to ensure that we manage our mosquito populations. These efforts are really about maintaining a high quality of life in Western North Dakota. At the same time, the coordination between the locals, the Corps, and the Air Force is cost-effective and serves as a good training mission for our military.”

The Air Force will supply two C-130’s that will fly out of Minot Air Force Base to conduct the spraying, which is scheduled to take place sometime between the last week of May and the first week of June.  

Hoeven has worked to ensure that the Air Force continues to conduct aerial spray operations throughout the state on both federal and non-federal lands. As part of the Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) Program, the Air Force has also scheduled two missions to spray for mosquitoes on non-public lands in the Williston and Minot areas between June 22-26 and July 20-24.

 

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