A major military spending bill passed Thursday featured millions in local investment and deferred action on local priorities.

The National Defense Authorization Act includes a major land deal for Pueblo, investments in the Air Force Academy, and Buckley and Peterson Space Force bases.

Two other well-heralded provisions did not pass. One was expected to ensure Buckley received new fighter jets, and one focused on creating a new Space National Guard. The Space National Guard is needed to provide a home for seven space-focused Air National Guard units in Colorado orphaned by the creation of the Space Force.  

Colorado lawmakers applauded the wins in the bill, with Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, saying it fortifies the local defense economy. 

Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper celebrated the bipartisan support of the bill.

“The House and Senate rose above politics to deliver for Colorado and our military,” Hickenlooper said in a statement.

In a portion of the bill meant to create jobs, Congress directs the Army to fully close the Pueblo Chemical Depot and transfer 7,000 acres to an economic development group called PuebloPlex. The group is tasked with attracting new employers to the depot’s campus, where 1,500 people are expected to lose their jobs as work to decommission mustard gas rounds ends.

Military contractor Bechtel finished washing out and incinerating the mustard gas rounds this summer, and now work continues on taking down some buildings and other facilities.  

PuebloPlex expects to purchase the 7,000 acres from the Army at a reduced rate and work with new employers to repurpose the land and some buildings. In addition to modern infrastructure that will remain, the campus includes hundreds of igloos, many already used for storage, and warehouses, some from the 1940s. 

The complex’s expected anchor tenant, MxV has already moved in. The company focuses on research and testing largely for freight rail companies. 

“We have eagerly awaited this great news for southern Colorado. It is a vital step in the redevelopment process and a boon to job creation for the community, ” said PuebloPlex President and CEO Russell A. DeSalvo III in a statement. 

In Colorado Springs, Peterson Space Force Base is slated to receive an additional $3 million to complete a National Guard Readiness Center, and the Air Force Academy is slated to receive $9.3 million for the Carlton House, a historic Spanish Colonial Revival house. The home is the official base residence of the superintendent.

In Aurora, Buckley received $14.7 million to improve energy conservation and resilience. Similar projects have featured new solar panels and battery storage. The base is also slated to receive a $12 million corrosion control maintenance facility. 

Buckley could also benefit from a provision to plan for the long-term future of the nation’s aircraft, because it is home to some of the oldest F-16s in the Air Force. An earlier proposal required the replacement of older fighter aircraft and the preservation of the guard’s 25 fighter squadrons. But that was not adopted. 

Instead, Congress is requiring the secretary of the Air Force to develop a plan that outlines how the branch will manage fighter aircraft across the active and reserve forces. The plan must include unit-by-unit plans for the next 12 years and detail whether units will receive new planes or be deactivated. 

The Air National Guard expects to lose two fighter squadrons over the next three years in Michigan and Maryland. Both fly A-10 Warthogs. 

New aircraft for Buckley could ensure more than $1 billion in economic impact of the base is maintained, The Gazette reported previously. 

Similarly, the proposal to create a new Space National Guard will be studied. The version of the bill the House originally approved included plans for a Space National Guard, but the Senate version did not and the two compromised by funding an independent study.