Add South Dakota to the list of states determined to attract aerospace business. Gov. Dennis Daugaard told the Rapid City Journal he intends to introduce legislation that would limit the liability of aircraft manufacturers beyond 10 years from the date of manufacture so the state can compete with others that have airplane businesses. Like other freshly minted governors, Daugaard is looking for the good-paying jobs that airplane makers typically provide and he has an ally in the Air Force.
It seems the folks running Ellsworth Air Force Base would like to raise a little extra cash by opening up room on the sprawling base for private enterprise. “I’ve become aware that there is an increasing interest by the Air Force in attracting private industry that could complement their military mission, especially in those bases where there is underutilized space,” Daugaard told the Journal. “The Air Force sees an opportunity to make use of that space by renting it to private enterprise, even within the base perimeter.”
