ATLANTA (March 4, 2013) –Senator Ed Harbison (D-Columbus) led the unanimous passage of Senate Resolution 201 which asks the Department of the Army carefully consider the socioeconomic impact the Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Army 2020 Force Restructuring will have on Fort Benning.“The proposed cuts to the Department of the Army would have a devastating effect on the people of the 15th district and surrounding areas,” said Sen. Harbison. “Fort Benning is essential to the economic vitality of Columbus and we must call on our elected officials in Washington to halt any reduction in active duty and civilian personnel.”
According to the Assessment, a reduction of 7,100 active duty and civilian personnel would result in a 17,815 loss in total population, which represents a 5.74 percent decrease in the region, a 3.16 percent loss of sales volume, a 4.99 percent drop in regional income, and 5.94 percent loss in regional nonfarm employment, which has the potential to affect low-income populations the most negatively.