Twentynine Palms and the neighboring Combat Center may be receiving some federal help in building a joint wastewater treatment facility. On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its annual national security authorization bill, HR 2810, which encourages the base to cooperate with the city to provide a community sewage system that may be mutually beneficial to both the base and the city. Other items in the bill include a 2.4 percent salary increase for service members and an authorization to increase the size of each branch of the military. In addition, it authorizes the construction of a railroad spur from the existing freight railroad to the Marine Base at Barstow. The bill passed the House 344-81 and now goes to the Senate.
