[CPEO-MEF] Boxer Opposes Closure Proposal

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Earlier this month (August, 2001) California Senator Barbara Boxer sent
a brief letter to local government officials in California, opposing the
Defense Department's proposal for a new round of military base closures.
Instead, Boxer - now chair of the Senate Environment Committee's
Superfund subcommittee - proposed that the military "focus its energy
and resources on cleaning up the bases it has already closed." Here is
the text of her letter:


***

Senator Barbara Boxer on the Pentagon's Plan for Base Closures

I am writing to tell you of my strong opposition to the Pentagon's
recent proposal to close more military bases in the United States. This
proposal is bad news for California, and you can count on me to work
with my colleagues in the Senate to prevent additional base closures
from going forward. California has already endured more than its fair
share of previous base closures.

Under the Pentagon's proposal, an independent commission would examine
all domestic military bases, choose which bases to close and announce
recommendations in 2003. The Pentagon announced that it would seek to
close up to 25 percent of all U.S. military installations.

Californians know the devastating effects of past closures because we
took a disproportionate hit in previous base closure rounds. Of the 97
major military installations closed nationwide since 1988, 29 were in
California. That's 30 percent of all major facilities closed.

California's counties and cities are all too familiar with the serious
impact of closed military facilities on local communities. Jobs are
lost, small businesses close down and what is left is infrastructure
that is difficult to reuse. In many cases, environmental contamination
makes large tracts of land off limits until decades of cleanup are
complete. To date, while some progress has been made, none of those 29
closed California bases have been fully cleaned up or converted to
productive civilian use. According to the Governor's Base Closure
Advisor, California needs $200 million each year for the next 20 years
in order to pay for all the necessary cleanup. By the Pentagon's own
estimates, some California bases won't be fully cleaned up until 2050.

Rather than pursue another painful round of military base closures, I
believe the Pentagon should focus its energy and resources on cleaning
up the bases it has already closed. I would be happy to hear your
thoughts on military base closures or other issues facing us.

-- 


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: 650/961-8918
lsiegel@cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org

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