Officials at Tyndall AFB complete environmental assessment for rebuild effort

May 12 (UPI) -- Officials at Florida's Tyndall Air Force Base have completed a Programmatic Environmental Assessment and are ready to purge the last of the facilities damaged by Hurricane Michael in 2018.

According to the Air Force, the PEA is one of two major National Environmental Policy Act actions required before reconstruction can begin at the installation.

"The approval of this Environmental Assessment, or EA, is great news for Tyndall AFB because we can now move forward with the multibillion-dollar rebuild of the 'Installation of the Future,'" said Col. Travis Leighton, Tyndall PMO director. "This includes completing the demolition required to clear sites in time for the construction of new facilities."

Tyndall can now obligate funds to start the 28 rebuild projects evaluated under the assessment.

Planned projects include construction of new facilities and infrastructure as well as demolition of 1.93 million square feet of construction.

Tyndall AFB is situated near Panama City, Fla., and it, along with the rest of Bay County were devastated by Hurricane Michael in October 2018.

Last September Air Force officials said they planned to rebuild an upgraded base in partnership with community and private industry, but the project has been delayed and hamstrung created in part by the Trump administration's decision to divert $3.6 billion intended for military construction projects in order to fund construction of sections of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.