Denver's Lowry Air Force Base (AFB) may become a test case for the
Defense Department's commitment to public participation in the oversight
of efforts to privatize cleanup at closing military bases. It's clear,
nationally, that many of the proponents of privatization and early
transfer view existing vehicles for public oversight, such as
Restoration Advisory Boards (RABs), simply as obstacles to expedited
redevelopment. However, Lowry's RAB, which represents residents directly
affected by contamination, cleanup, and reuse, is insisting that it
remain "at the table."
At least on the surface, the Air Force appears willing to oblige. On
December 11, 2000, the Air Force Base Conversion Agency responded in
detail to a November 2 letter from the Lowry AFB RAB. To its credit, the
Air Force has agreed that the RAB should continue to oversee cleanup
even if and when lead responsibility is transferred. It wrote, "we
intend to make RAB involvement a requirement of our agreement with the
[local reuse authority] and will not accept a privatization proposal
otherwise."
However, privatization efforts thus far have consisted primarily of
private negotiations between the Air Force and the Local Reuse Authority
(LRA) and its developer. That is, while the formalities of public
participation are being retained, key decisions are being made beyond
public scrutiny. The Air Force points out that the products of those
negotiation will be subject to public review, but it's likely that the
negotiated agreement will be sufficiently complex and tenuous that the
negotiators will present it as an all-or-nothing proposal. That is,
because the privatization process is dominated by legal representatives
of parties to a major property transaction, it creates intense pressures
for a return to the days of the discredited model of
decide-announce-defend in federal facilities cleanup.
Lenny
--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 222B View St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/968-1126
lsiegel@cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org
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