The Bakersfield Californian [free registration required] reports today that the appropriations committee of the California Senate tabled a bill that would provide Mojave Airport with an $11-million loan that would be used to provide spaceport facilities there. It appears that the committee didn’t single out the bill: according to the article the legislation was tabled “along with nearly all other bills that have significant price tags.” The committee will reconsider the bill next month when they have a better handle on the overall budget. In the meantime, spaceport supporters are planning to ask Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to put the money into a revised budget proposal he will send to the legislature later in the month.
[Cross-posted from Space Politics]
Here’s a more upbeat story from Mojave Spaceport:
“It’s Not Exactly a Free Launch” by Allison Gatlin