San Bernardino airport wins National Site Reuse Award

Representatives of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Air Force, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, and other distinguished guests joined the San Bernardino International Airport Authority to recognize the former Norton Air Force Base as a winner in the EPA’s seventh annual National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Awards this week.

The San Bernardino International Airport demonstrates how successful partnerships between public and private entities and the local community can facilitate the transformation of a military facility with significant environmental issues into a multi-use area that is an asset to the community, while being a catalyst for revitalization of the surrounding area.

“This year’s winners demonstrate the importance of strong partnerships in transforming contaminated federal facilities into community assets,” said Cliff Villa, EPA’s Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Office of Land and Emergency Management.

Under the Base Realignment and Closure Act, the former Air Force base closed in 1994. What was once Norton Air Force Base is now San Bernardino International Airport and a global logistics complex, employing over 18,000 people, exceeding the number and diversity of jobs when it was an operating base. Companies on site include Amazon, Kohl’s, Mattel, UPS, FedEx, Stater Bros complex, and Pep Boys.