[CPEO-IRF] Ft. Monroe (VA) legislation

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Bill presents best plan for fort's future

Letter from Ross A. Kearney II, Mayor, city of Hampton (VA)
Newport News Daily Press (VA)
February 14, 2007

Most people agree that the primary goal with Fort Monroe must be to make 
it safe, open and accessible to the public as soon as possible. That's 
why Senate Bill 1392, presently being considered in the General 
Assembly, is so important. It helps assure broad-based state and local 
leadership in the reuse planning of Fort Monroe.

Patroned by Sen. Marty Williams at the request of Gov. Tim Kaine, the 
bill could play a key role in helping to expedite the necessary 
environmental cleanup of Fort Monroe.

It is the Army's responsibility to clean up any environmentally 
contaminated property prior to abandoning the post and before it may be 
transferred to the commonwealth. While this could take years to 
complete, the commonwealth, by law, cannot accept the property until it 
is environmentally sound. Williams' bill authorizes the governor to turn 
the fort over to an expanded Fort Monroe Federal Area Development 
Authority that would serve as the third-party entity to oversee an 
efficient, privatized cleanup of Fort Monroe, still at federal expense.


...

For the entire letter, see
http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-54270sy0feb14,0,1416385.story?coll=dp-opinion-editorials

--


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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