MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -- Senator Jean Fuller, the California District 18 senator, made her first visit to the Combat Center June 17, 2011, to learn more about the installation’s award winning efforts to conserve energy and stay environmentally friendly.
“[The purpose is] to show them the energy programs and renewable energy we do for the Navy and Marine Corps overall,” said Gary Morrissett, the Combat Center’s energy manager. “[We want] to show them how progressive we are in our programs and how we are trying to help the community, state and federal governments out [while] meeting the requirements.”
Fuller and her aides received a quick overview of the Combat Center’s mission, expansion plans and steps being made to meet all federal energy mandates. they also toured the co-generation facility, solar farm, archeological facility, and Exercise Support Division. An aerial tour of the installation gave them a bird’s eye view of the rest of the base.
“[I am] very pleased to be here, very impressed with the tour and the information and the process in which it was involved,” said Fuller, who is also the vice chair for the Senate’s Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee. “This is my first visit out here, and in addition to really learning a lot today, I am really enjoying both the people and the opportunity to learn more.”
The Combat Center had Fuller’s attention before she even set foot here.
“They initially made a visit to my office to create a personal relationship and open communication on what both sides might want to accomplish by having this visit,” she said. “Some of those same people that had greeted us had given a more in-depth briefing with Power Points on the bus so our ‘down time’ wasn’t specifically down time, but was pointed to some of the questions we had asked in our first relationship.”
An unanticipated outcome ended up being one of the most beneficial.
Fuller said she enjoyed having multiple experts immediately available for her group. Having their information and knowing the best person to contact will help simplify working on future projects between her office and the Combat Center.