States Make Keeping Bases Open a Priority

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States wage offensive to keep military bases open
By Kathleen Hunter, Staff Writer, Stateline.org
Thursday, May 6, 2004

States whose economies rely heavily on U.S. military bases are waging an 
undeclared war against each other to protect their hometown 
installations from a threatened round of base closures next year.

State tactics differ – from declaring base-preservation plans a state 
secret, to enlisting high-powered Washington, D.C., lobbying firms, to 
financing base improvements, to capitalizing on the strengths of their 
congressional delegations. But their ultimate missions are the same: 
Secure the future of their state’s bases.

With military bases in all 50 states, the stakes involve tens of 
thousands of jobs and billions of dollars that the federal installations 
pump into the local economy.

States are on the offensive because the Department of Defense is slated 
in May 2005 to release a recommended list of bases to close or realign 
as part of the upcoming round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 
recommendations - a long-term plan to eliminate inefficiencies within 
the nation’s armed forces. The DOD plans to close or realign 24 percent 
of the nation's 425 bases.

Florida is so intent on preserving its 21 bases that Gov. Jeb Bush set 
up a commission to give advice on how to avoid base closures and the 
Legislature passed a law in late April making the commission’s work 
secret. “It’s very competitive out there, and we want to do everything 
we can to protect our military bases,” said state Sen. Mike Fasano (R), 
who sponsored the bill to exempt the commission from the state’s 
open-meetings and open-records laws.

“Until BRAC is over, we don’t want all of the other states to know what 
we are trying to do to protect our military bases and our military 
personnel here in Florida,” Fasano said.

While Congress used to choose which bases to close, the decision now is 
made by a presidentially appointed BRAC commission in an attempt to take 
politics out of the decision-making process. Congress can only affirm or 
reject BRAC's decision. One result is that instead of focusing on 
Congress, states now are concentrating on staying off of the dreaded 
Pentagon list recommending base closings to the BRAC commission -- and 
for good reason. About 85 percent of installations on the recommended 
list in the last BRAC round in 1995 eventually were closed.

Using a set of criteria the DOD released in February, governors, state 
legislators, members of Congress and local government officials from 
many states are on a blitz to promote their states’ bases. Tara Butler, 
a spokeswoman for the National Governors Association who specializes in 
military issues, said nearly every state has a commission charged with 
preventing BRAC-related closures.

“There are going to be winners and losers in the BRAC round,” Butler 
said. “There will be bases that are closed and bases that are 
significantly realigned. And there are some bases that are downsized now 
that may end up increasing in importance.”

Some states already have begun to bring in the big guns in the form of 
high-powered Washington lobbyists. Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich 
recently made headlines when he announced that Illinois had hired 
Fleishman-Hillard and the PMA Group – two prominent lobbying and 
public-relations firms – to “fight to save” Scott Air Force Base, Rock 
Island Arsenal and the state’s two Air National Guard bases. Illinois 
will pay Fleishman-Hillard $180,000 and PMA $140,000.

“Both of these firms have had excellent experience with the process,” 
said Andrew Ross, a Blagojevich spokesman. “They understand how it 
works. They will help Illinois present as strong a case as possible as 
to why these bases are essential and should remain open. … The governor 
wanted to make sure that we bring people to the table who know and 
understand this process, who have the knowledge and expertise to help 
our state through this process.”

Ross estimated that the facilities accounted for more than 70,000 jobs 
in the state and contributed upwards of $2.5 billion to the state’s economy.

A growing number of states, including Florida, Texas and about a dozen 
others, also have hired private consultants to help avoid closure of 
their bases.

Another approach used by states is to finance base improvements to make 
the installations more closely fit the federal criteria for remaining 
open. The main criterion is a base’s military value, a measure of how 
much it contributes to the military’s training, operations and 
readiness. The condition of the base’s facilities, including surrounding 
land, is also named as a factor in military value.

Since the release of the DOD criteria, a number of states are pursuing 
measures to improve their bases’ infrastructure and services offered to 
military families. Minimizing encroachment, which involves civilian 
development infringing on bases, also has been a focus.

Texas, for example, late last year authorized up to $250 million in 
bonds to fund economic development projects that benefit defense 
communities or boost a military base’s value. Texas’ 18 major military 
installations employ a total of 230,000 military members, National Guard 
members and civilians and have an estimated annual impact of $44 billion 
on the state’s economy.

In Florida, which also garners $44 billion in economic benefits from its 
bases, the Legislature has passed a comprehensive bill to provide grants 
for local infrastructure projects, such as transportation or security 
improvements, that aid military bases. It also qualifies military 
children for a number of educational benefits, including in-state 
tuition at Florida universities, and provides certain unemployment 
benefits and relocation programs for spouses of soldiers.

New Mexico is another state where the economy relies heavily on its 
military installations. Gen. Hanson Scott, spokesman for the state’s 
Military Base Planning Commission, said there are no plans to hire a 
lobbying firm. He said the state plans to spiff up its bases and rely on 
its state and congressional officials. New Mexico’s congressional 
delegation includes several heavy hitters, including long-time Sens. 
Pete Domenici (R ) and Jeff Bingaman (D), as well as Rep. Heather 
Wilson, a Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee.

“We have a very, very strong congressional delegation and community 
leaders that understand our installations. Some states might not have 
that,” Scott said.

U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., whose district includes Holloman Air 
Force Base and White Sands Missile Range, introduced a bill April 28 
that would authorize a land swap between the U.S. Bureau of Land 
Management and the Pentagon. The deal is designed to give the DOD 
ownership of more land on four military bases in New Mexico and Texas. 
The bill’s supporters claim the DOD would be less likely to close bases 
on which it owns all of the land. New Mexico’s Wilson also has 
introduced a bill that would revise the Pentagon’s BRAC criteria.

To view the entire article, please go to:

http://www.stateline.org/stateline/?pa=story&sa=showStoryInfo&print=1&id=369967

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