Officials at Travis AFB, Calif., have shelved plans for now to solicit ideas to develop a 19-megawatt solar energy project on the base’s 205-acre Cypress Lakes Golf Course. “The business case for the project was strong, but recreation facilities like the golf course have value for our Team Travis family beyond financial considerations and we must look at the whole picture when making these decisions,” said Col. James Vechery, boss of Travis’ 60th Air Mobility Wing, in a base release Tuesday. The project was conceived in partnership with the Air Force Real Property Agency under the Defense Department’s enhanced use lease program, which allows installations to lease non-excess real property to public or private developers. AFRPA and Travis representatives had presented the concept to would-be developers in November.
A new report by the Defense Department’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation found that Texas and Virginia are America’s top recipients of defense spending, some $83 billion and $64.3 billion, respectively. Texas and California top the spending categories for Air Force contracts and personnel, some $17 billion and $15…