Facility Would Be Built on Land Owned by Earth Conservancy,which Kanjorski Helped Found ASHLEY – Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) announced that the U.S. Department of State (DoS) and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) are looking for a location to build a new facility to train about 10,000 diplomatic security trainees annually, and property in Luzerne County is receiving serious consideration for the site.  If the local site is chosen for the project, the facility could bring 1,000 jobs to Northeastern Pennsylvania and greatly impact economic development locally through the creation of new jobs and growth of small businesses.  Currently, such training occurs at 19 different locations throughout the country and DoS is looking to consolidate these efforts into one facility.  Today, Congressman Kanjorski led a tour for officials from DoS and GSA around the location under consideration in Conyngham Township.  The potential property was bought years ago by Earth Conservancy, which Congressman Kanjorski helped found.  Congressman Kanjorski had the foresight years ago to realize that one of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s greatest resources is its land.  Now that land is available for use and DoS is seriously considering developing it for a new training facility.  Earth Conservancy works to restore and reuse mine-scarred land for recreational, industrial, and residential purposes. “Northeastern Pennsylvania is under serious consideration for a project that could bring 1,000 jobs to Northeastern Pennsylvania and significantly promote economic development throughout the area by benefiting local businesses,” said Congressman Kanjorski.  “Since I first joined Congress, one of my top priorities has been to save and create jobs in Northeastern Pennsylvania.  Especially during these difficult economic times, it would be particularly advantageous to have such a boon for area residents and our local economy.” Congressman Kanjorski added, “Since I helped start Earth Conservancy in 1992, the organization has done a tremendous job working to reclaim mine-scarred land in the area and put it back to use to help with economic development in Northeastern Pennsylvania.  This project would highlight exactly how Earth Conservancy has been so successful.  By preserving this 2,300 acre parcel, Earth Conservancy has made it possible to locate a large job creating project such as this one.  I am pleased that that property is now available for use, and I greatly hope that the Department of State will choose to build its training facility there.” “As one of the founders of Earth Conservancy, Congressman Kanjorski has always supported the organization’s efforts to revitalize the environment and economy of this region,” said Mike Dziak, President/CEO of Earth Conservancy.  “This project would only help further Earth Conservancy’s goals which are to reclaim mine-scarred land and ensure that it can be put back to use to help foster economic development locally.  Congressman Kanjorski has worked diligently with Earth Conservancy on these goals, and now he is working to bring a substantial project to the area to use the land as we envisioned.  We are grateful for his support in getting the Department of State to consider this area for such a large project.  The location of this training facility in the area could help to bring much needed jobs and economic development to our regional community and would reclaim a large area of mine-scarred lands.” What This Means for Northeastern Pennsylvania If DoS and GSA, which is responsible for providing workplaces for federal employees and managing federal properties, choose to build the training facility in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the region will reap the economic rewards.  The training facility would bring up to 1,000 permanent jobs to the area, plus between 350-550 construction jobs just for the initial phase of the project.  DoS would need to hire many new jobs at the facility for buildings and grounds, range operations, emergency medical services, administrative, custodial, vehicle maintenance, security, telecommunications, and food service. The training facility would bring about 10,000 trainees to the area each year which would greatly benefit small businesses, hotels, and restaurants as they would receive an exponential increase in business.  Currently, DoS books about 25,000 hotel rooms each year for existing training programs.  Finally, DoS would likely need to contract and subcontract with many local businesses particularly during and after the construction to help create the facility and provide services to it. About the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC) The FASTC would provide up to 10,000 students with state-of-the-art training to effectively and efficiently train DoS’ Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) employees. DS is the security and law enforcement arm of DoS and works to protect people, property, and information at U.S. embassies and consulates throughout the world.  In the United States, DS protects the Secretary of State, who is currently Hillary Clinton, conducts visa and passport fraud investigations, and provides protection for some visiting foreign dignitaries. A May 2008 report to Congress identified the need to create a consolidated facility, rather than have 19 locations spread throughout the country, to improve training efficiency, decrease operating costs, and ensure that the training facility meets current agency standards.  The training facility would include classrooms, simulation labs, administrative offices, a fitness center, dining facilities, on-site emergency medical and fire services, driving tracks to replicate normal and emergency driving conditions, mock urban environments including streets buildings and facades designed to simulate a variety of urban scenarios, firing ranges, and storage facilities. For more information about FASTC, visit its website at http://www.state.gov/recovery/fastc/.