[CPEO-MEF] Summary of Air Force "Encroachment" Testimony

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Major General Walter E. Buchanan III, Director of Operations and
Training for the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, made the Air Force
presentation at the March 20, 2001 Senate hearing on "Encroachment."
Following conflicts over military range and airspace expansion in the
mid-1990s, the Air Force developed a vision of range management
reflective of the new political environment that it faced. Buchanan testified:

"Our goal is to meet the military need while addressing and resolving,
to the extent possible, public concerns and federal, tribal, state, and
other agency issues. We have adopted a spirit and practice of
flexibility, and a willingness to adapt when we can without compromising
our operations. We also realize the importance of establishing and
maintaining permanent relationships with stakeholders. Most of those
stakeholders are very supportive of the [Air Force] and our mission.
Sustainable access to ranges benefits many people. Our ranges contain
significant cultural and natural areas, are used for grazing and
agriculture, and allow hunting or other forms of outdoor recreation."

Buchanan discussed how the Air Force is adapting to the challenges posed
by five encroachment issues: unexploded ordnance, air quality, noise,
the National Airspace Redesign, and endangered species.

UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE. Buchanan told the Senators: "The costs associated
with clearing closed ranges have led us to the conclusion that we need
to plan and manage for the entire life-cycle or a range." But even
before the current appreciation of the importance of ordnance cleanup,
the Air Force was taking action. Buchanan reported:

"The [Air Force] first started clearing ordnance from active ranges in
the late 1940's. Active range clearance not only provides for safe
target area operations, but also provides airfield-recovery training for
our Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialists. [Air Force] policy requires
that active air to ground ranges be cleared on a quarterly, annual, and
5-year basis at varying distances from each target.... Our ultimate goal
is to manage our ranges effectively and efficiently throughout the
life-cycle process that allows for sustainable operations, safe and
effective [unexploded ordnance] and residue treatment, and long term
environmental stewardship." This year the Air Combat Command is spending
$4.8 million on range residue removal, clearing about one million pounds
a month from its ranges. It expects to finish the job on its primary
ranges in about four years.

AIR QUALITY. Air quality is primarily a problem for Air Force
installations located in Clear Air Act non-attainment regions, rather
than at ranges. The Air Force is working to lower emissions, and  to
obtain air quality credits where it can. Buchanan said, "We are working
to ensure the environmental, safety, and health considerations -
including air quality - are integral to requirements definition and the
acquisition process."

NOISE. Not surprisingly, the General reported, "Today, noise is the [Air
Force's] number one concern when we try to modify or establish new
airspace.... Some people say they want a strong national defense as long
as the [Air Force]  flies 'somewhere else.' However, if you look at a
map of the U.S., 'somewhere else' is always 'right here' for someone
else." Buchanan said the Air Force tries to accommodate the impacted
public, and it also explains why it needs to train the way it does. To
deal with the problem in the long run, he repeated that his office is
working "to ensure that environmental, safety, and health considerations
- including noise - are integral to requirements definition and the
acquisition process."

NATIONAL AIRSPACE REDESIGN. In 1998, the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) initiated the National Airspace Redesign, also known as "Free
Flight," to provide improved airspace access for the civil airline
industry. Within this initiative, the Air Force is working with the FAA
to protect its ability to restrict air traffic that might interfere with
training or testing. It appears willing to share its "Special Use
Airspace," restricting civilian use only when (in real time) conducting
training, and it plans to work with the FAA to develop the necessary
supporting technology.

ENDANGERED SPECIES.  Buchanan reported: 

"79 federally listed threatened and endangered species  are found on
approximately nine million acres of [Air Force] lands and waters.... In
some cases, our installations and ranges are the only large, undeveloped
and relatively undisturbed areas remaining in growing urban areas. This
often leaves [Air Force] lands as the last refuge in the region that can
support endangered species. Biological Opinions resulting from required
Endangered Species Act assessments have resulted in range and airspace
restrictions mainly associated with aircraft noise and munitions use."

Buchanan described, for example, how the Air Force has altered its
training at Arizona's Goldwater Range to protect the severely endangered
pronghorn antelope. But overall he focused on how the Air Force is
working to preserve habitat, instead of calling for the weakening of the
laws and regulations that protect species. He concluded:

"The key to addressing endangered species is adequate science and good
communication. The [Air Force] will continue to monitor activities
outside our fence-line and continue to engage with local communities. We
have found that where we have good relationships with regulators, we
have been able to develop cooperative strategies that allow the [Air
Force] to accomplish its mission while at the same time providing the
necessary stewardship of this nation's natural resources."

Buchanan also addressed urbanization, telling how some once-remote Air
Force bases and ranges are now functioning amidst double-digit
population growth. He predicted, "In order to ensure that the rapid pace
of urban growth in some areas does not endanger our existing capital
investment in base infrastructure, as well as our ability to access test
and training areas, we will need to work closely with local governments
and other interested parties to safeguard our capabilities to operate
effectively as an [Air Force].

Buchanan closed by calling for effective communication and partnership
with the other armed services, civilian agencies, and other
stakeholders. He said, "The [Air Force] recognizes the need to balance
its test, training, and readiness requirements with responsible stewardship."

(As we announced before, Buchanan's testimony and those of his
counterparts from the other armed services can be downloaded from
http://www.senate.gov/~armed_services/hearings/2001/r010320.htm.)
 

-- 


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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