The future of the 910th Air Reserve Station could soon be looking much brighter.

Ohio Senators, Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown certainly agree on something, and that's the importance of retaining the 910th Airlift Wing in the Mahoning Valley.
Both men managed to get an amendment added to the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act that would direct the U.S.Air Force to prioritize upgrades to the aging C-130 fleets at the 910th.

"We both recognize the importance to our national and domestic security and the importance that the Youngstown Air Reserve Station has on the economy and the vitality of the Mahoning valley," says Brown.

"If we have older aircraft or if we are not upgrading our base it's easier to push that base aside in the context of a base closing commission process that's likely to take place in the next several years," says Portman.

And having the older C-130H fleet presents a big problem for the future of the station.

910th Public Affairs Superintendent, Bob Barko Jr., says "Our current fleet is just a few years away from being prevented from flying in airspace over parts of the u.s. or Europe due to new regulations coming down the pike."

So the new legislation would address whether the government should upgrade the current fleet or completely replace them with the new C-130J models.  So far expects say replacement would be more cost effective.

The house is expected to vote on that legislation as early as Friday and then the Senate would vote on it early next week.