Re: [CPEO-IRF] Relocation of DC-area Defense employees - and traffic

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

The article re-excerpted below points out a significant new aspect of
BRAC 2005: the proposal to relocate large numbers of Defense office
workers from leased space in the DC area - primarily northern Virginia -
to military bases in the region. The article focuses on Ft. Belvoir and
the Quantico Marine Corps Base, both in Virginia, but Maryland's Andrews
Air Force Base is also slated to absorb civilian Defense workers.

These particular realignments raise important environmental questions.
Few relate to the toxic and explosive waste issues that CPEO normally
emphasizes. Instead, they concern transportation and perhaps even
housing for the affected Defense Department personnel, both civilian and uniformed.

When I reviewed these realignments in the BRAC detailed proposal
documents released on May 13, I identified the impacted units, not by
base or city, but by Metro stop. From personal observation, I believe
that a large fraction, even a majority, of the Defense personnel who
work in the doomed leased space take public transit to work each day.
They have located their homes in areas served by Metro and its feeder system

It appears, from my too distant vantage point, that moving those jobs to
more remote installations would not only tax the transportation routes
serving those facilities, but it could even undermine the financial
viability of the Metro system. Conceivably new roads or transit could be
constructed over the years it takes to complete the realignment, but I
do not believe those costs have been factored into the BRAC 2005 proposal.

In fact, the infrastructure assessments released with that proposal are
cursory. While it's possible that they are supported with more data, the
type of analysis normally required to complete an environmental impact
statement has not been conducted. Federal agencies proposing major
federal projects with employment expansion are supposed to conduct
traffic studies that are incorporated into National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) documents, such as environmental impact statements or
environmental assessments. 
Are therein lies the rub. The Base Realignment and Closure process will
be completed long before any NEPA studies can be completed. Given the
complex BRAC approval process, it's unlikely that any decisions will be
reversed based upon later traffic studies.

Unless things have changed, base closures (as opposed to reuse) are
exempt from NEPA review. That's OK, since most base closures result in
environmental improvement. This system seems to work, even where closure
might lead to destruction of military-protected habitat, because that
risk is routinely flagged without a NEPA study.

But realignments that generate large amounts of traffic or significantly
alter civilian housing markets should be evaluated, along with realistic
options, before decisions are complete.

At this point, I don't know whether the benefits of moving employees
from Arlington and Alexandria to Quantico and Ft. Belvoir outweigh the
costs. But the process should be adjusted to ensure that the people in
authority have all the information in hand before they make irreversible decisions.

Lenny




Lenny Siegel wrote:
> 
> BRAC expected to affect U.S.1 traffic
> 
> By AILEEN M. STRENG
> Potomac News (VA)
> June 5, 2005
> 
> Getting aboard the Quantico Marine Corps base and the Army's Fort
> Belvoir is already difficult during rush hours. Since most Marines and
> soldiers start their days at about the same time, most also travel to
> work at the same time. Factor in security checks at the gates and the
> backlog grows.
> 
> Even during non-rush hours, the exit ramps from Interstate 95 towards
> Quantico's main gate as well as U.S. 1 can back up.
> 
> The recommended addition of more than 21,000 federal employees to the
> two military installations along U.S. 1 could turn the already congested
> commute into a gridlocked nightmare.
> 
> ...
> 
> For the entire article, see
> http://www.potomacnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WPN%2FMGArticle%2FWPN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031783110252&path=
> You may need to cut and past the URL.
>
-- 


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
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org
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