GULF SHORES, Ala. — The Navy has announced the Navy Outlying Field Wolf has been removed from the list of possible expansion sites.

The Naval Air Station Whiting Field and Naval Facilities Engineering Command have pulled NOLF Wolf from the list due to airspace conflicts with Jack Edwards Airport and NAS Pensacola, according to a letter sent to Gov. Bob Riley from the Department of the Navy. A press release concerning the decision also cited conflicts with Pensacola Regional Airport.

“Navy Outlying Landing Field Wolf will no longer be fully evaluated in the Environmental Assessment process as a viable alternative for this proposed project,” Sean Heath, a Naval Facilities Engineering Command representative, said.

The Navy has been searching among NOLF’s Silverhill, Summerdale, Barin and Wolf, looking for a landing strip to extend. The introduction of the new training aircraft T-6b Texan calls for a lengthier landing strip and the four local NOLFs have been under assessment. Last week NOLF Wolf, located in Josephine, was taken out of that assessment.

Earlier this year, after news of the original proposal came, the city of Orange Beach sent a letter to the Navy requesting NOLF Wolf not be considered. Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon said the expansion would not have been in the best interest for the city.

“We want to support the military in every possible way we can, but in reality we felt like Wolf field was a bad choice,” Kennon said. “It’s a very expensive piece of property and could be a significant source of revenue for the state as the area grows. I just felt like from a taxpayer’s point-of-view there where other fields that were far less expensive to expand.”

Orange Beach City Administrator Ken Grimes also noted the conflict the extension would have caused with the proposed Wolf Bay Bridge. He said there was also a concern of the current 80-foot-tall transmission towers that power the city having to come down.

“The extension would encroach upon future possible city plans and could prohibit certain development as far as commercial and residential,” Grimes said.

The extension of NOLF Wolf would have had no positive impact to the city and would have created no new jobs. NOLFs Silverhill, Summerdale and Barin are all still under consideration. The draft environmental assessment is tentatively scheduled to be released mid-May and the final decision is slated for Sept. 15.