Fort Worth Naval Base Panel Sets 2027 Legislative Priorities

The Regional Coordination Committee, which works to keep the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth operating as a military asset while improving nearby communities, approved its state legislative priorities at an October meeting. The priorities go into the 2027 Texas legislative session, with early bill filing starting soon.

Wind energy was the main focus. The committee wants to make sure wind turbines, communications towers, lighting and foreign-government investment do not interfere with military flight operations. Two 2025 bills it supported, which would have added federal aviation and defense approvals for wind projects and required local voter approval for certain energy facilities in larger counties, did not pass.

The group also backed continued full funding for the Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant Program and the Texas Military Value Revolving Loan Fund, which support defense communities affected by Pentagon decisions.

Several road projects near the base were also reviewed. Widening North Las Vegas Trail in White Settlement, with a contract bid of $5.1 million, is expected to finish around October 2027. A roughly $12 million rebuild of Meandering Road, which serves the base's east gate, is slated for late 2028. A roughly $50 million interchange project at Pumphrey Drive, Roaring Springs Road and State Highway 183 still lacks full funding.

For developers near the base, the practical takeaway is that wind and tower proposals may face tighter review, while road access improvements could shape future land values.