Stratton Ridge Air Force Memorial Act

This bill lets the U.S. Department of Agriculture approve moving a memorial that honors nine Air Force crew members who died in a 1982 training crash in the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests. With the current landowner’s permission, the memorial could be installed at the Stratton Ridge rest area at mile marker 2 on the Cherohala Skyway in Graham County, North Carolina. The site must be approved by the Secretary of Agriculture and the North Carolina Department of Transportation, and, if it’s next to a federal-aid highway, by the Federal Highway Administration as well .

No federal money can be used for this move. Whoever asks to move the memorial must pay all costs, including the application, environmental review, and the relocation, installation, and ongoing maintenance. The permit can include limits, such as not allowing the memorial to be enlarged .

• Who is affected: Families, veterans, visitors, and local communities near the Cherohala Skyway; the USDA; state transportation officials .
• What changes: Allows the memorial to be moved from private land to a designated rest area in the national forest, with required approvals and at no cost to the federal government .
• When: Takes effect once enacted and after required approvals and permits are granted .