U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) sent a letter to Director Robert Cardillo of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) expressing support to keep the facility in Missouri.

The St. Louis region has had a 70 year long standing relationship with this agency and its precursors, and the NGA West facility continues to provide relevant and timely geospatial intelligence in support of national security.

“With roughly 2,100 NGA West employees who are Missouri residents, I believe there is a strong case for keeping the NGA West facility in the state,” Luetkemeyer said. “While I understand the need to move the current facility location, it is important to keep in mind the commute distance and travel time for these workers.”

The current NGA West facility located at 2nd Street in St. Louis has shown major concerns in recent years and as such the NGA has decided to search for another location. This search has been narrowed to four possible sites, three of which are located in Missouri and one in Illinois. The Army Corps of Engineers is currently conducting an Environmental Impact Survey on the remaining sites and is scheduled to release a draft report of their findings later this year.

The letter goes on to state, “The ties that bind NGA and Missouri have lasted for over 70 years; they run throughout St. Louis, throughout the surrounding communities and through generations of families. With that in mind I would ask that you choose one of the remaining three Missouri sites for the new NGA West facility.”