Re: [CPEO-IRF] Hill briefing on BRAC

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

The following response was submitted by Bryan Barnhouse of the 
International City/County Management Association (ICMA):


The article that Lenny referenced appeared in the May 12 edition of The 
Hill, the newspaper for and about the US Congress. In it, the author 
referenced an ICMA and VA-Tech Metropolitan Institute co-sponsored base 
reuse briefing before the Livable Communities Task Force as convened by 
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) on Capitol Hill, May 10th.  The article 
did a great job capturing remarks from Aimee Houghton, CPEO, concerning 
environmental contamination and Defense Department liability and those 
of David Limardi, city manager of Highland Park, IL, and ICMA member and 
vice president, concerning the challenges the city faced with the Army's 
BRAC disposal process.

However, it neglected to reference a number of successful base reuse 
strategies, techniques, and conditions mentioned by all three briefing 
panelists, including those of Greg Morrell, Lennar-LNR. For instance, 
the private sector view that workable zoning plans serve as a key 
contributor to military property redevelopment. Ms. Houghton cited how 
restoration advisory boards (RABs) that work closely with the local 
redevelopment authorities (LRAs), and engage citizens and long-term 
stakeholders on environmental cleanup can be effective.  Mr. Limardi, 
offering the municipal perspective, advised congressional staff on how 
important it is for local jurisdictions to acquire expert advisors and 
facilitate open communication between residents, the military, and the city.

Additionally, all the panelists identified ways in which Congress could 
help improve the base reuse process. The recommendations included 
support for Congress to encourage the military services to conduct more 
comprehensive environmental baseline surveys (EBSs) the first time 
around. The private sector would like Congress to appropriate more 
funding to the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) for planning 
assistance grants. Last, but not least, Congress has the ability to 
establish single points of contact who can translate BRAC statutes, 
rules, and regulations, which should include a clear and well-defined 
property disposal process, for local communities.

An article with full details of the base reuse briefing and experiences 
and suggestions from the panelists is forthcoming.

Bryan J. Barnhouse
International City/County Management Association (ICMA)
Military Programs - Base Reuse Consortium
777 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20002
Office (202) 962-3613
Fax (202) 962-3605
bbarnhouse@icma.org
www.icma.org/military


Lenny Siegel wrote:
> [One of the most interesting lessons from the briefing described below 
> is that representatives of the private sector, local government, and 
> public stakeholders have reached essentially the same conclusions from 
> previous base closure rounds. - LS]
>
>
> Cleanup considered key to reuse of shuttered bases
>
> By Roxana Tiron
> The Hill (DC)
> May 12, 2005
>
> The highly anticipated Defense Department base realignment and closure 
> (BRAC) list, expected to be released tomorrow, will yield winners and 
> losers.
>
> But the losers might not be so bad off.
>
> Many states and lawmakers fear an economic blow as the Pentagon plans to 
> close, scale down or realign some of its 425 major domestic bases to 
> save billions of dollars a year. While that fear can be valid, the 
> situation is "far from being the absolute death for these communities," 
> said Chris Hellman, an analyst at the Center for Arms Control and 
> Non-Proliferation in Washington.
>
> ...
>
> Some members of Congress are gearing up to use the BRAC 2005 round to 
> draw attention to the necessity for environmental cleanup, a showstopper 
> in several communities affected by previous base closures. If this BRAC 
> batch is approached properly, "it could help a number of communities," 
> said Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.).
>
> ...
>
> For the entire article, see
> http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/TheExecutive/051205.html


--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org



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