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09-24-2003

Page history last edited by PBworks 17 years, 6 months ago

September 24, 2003

ROMNEY SIGNS LEASE EXTENSION AT MASS MILITARY RESERVATION

Agreement contains tough environmental protections, delivers jobs and economic vitality

 

BOURNE – Governor Mitt Romney today signed a 25-year extension to the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) Army and Air Force Leases from 2026 to 2051.

 

According to Romney, the leases contain tough environmental protections that guard the Cape’s water supply. He said the extension also ensures the military continues to play a role in the economic vitality of the region and in the state’s homeland defense efforts.

 

“With these extensions to the Massachusetts Military Reservation leases, we are ensuring the continued presence of the United States military – a major contributor of jobs and revenues to the Cape’s economy and a key component of our homeland defense network,” said Romney. “At the same time, we are protecting the region’s water supply known as the Sagamore Lens, Cape Cod’s sole source aquifer.”

 

The Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) provides a training ground for the Army National Guard as well as an air base for the Air National Guard. On September 11, 2001, following terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center, fighter jets from MMR were the first dispatched to patrol the skies over the United States.

 

The MMR is the second-largest employer of civilians in the region, with 700 workers whose salaries exceed $35 million annually. The base provides an estimated $10 million in annual revenue in the form of goods and services. As an economic multiplier, the MMR contributes more than $100 million to the Cape economy.

 

Romney said the lease extensions were needed to secure federal funding for facility modernization on the lower base (Cantonment Area), a task that is essential to the future of MMR and a significant concern to the state and the region. The World War II vintage buildings require repair, maintenance and military construction funding over the next 15 to 20 years. The lease extension provides assurance to the military that if federal funds are provided, the military will be able to utilize the modernized facility for at least 25 years after the funding has been committed.

 

“This extension of the Army’s lease at the Massachusetts Military Reservation affirms the mutual commitments of the Army, the Commonwealth and our neighboring communities to provide our soldiers the best training possible while providing the best environmental stewardship possible,” said Ray Fatz, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health.

 

Maureen T. Koetz, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health, praised the lease extensions, saying, “We are pleased to have reached an agreement that allows MMR to maintain its role as a premier East Coast readiness facility, an economic contributor to the region, and an important conservation area sustained by the Department of Defense.”

 

The Romney Administration took steps to ensure that the lease extensions would not result in increased risk to the region’s water supplies. In addition to addressing homeland security and economic concerns during lease negotiations, Romney’s Administration extended the unprecedented environmental protections codified in the terms of the 2001 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Commonwealth and the Army into the lease agreement until 2051.

 

These protections safeguard the 15,000-acre Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve by precluding development and ensuring that all activities in this area, including the limited military training, do not threaten the drinking water supplies and wildlife habitat.

 

The Administration also worked with the four neighboring communities (Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee and Sandwich) to resolve outstanding water problems that have resulted from contamination emanating from MMR. Over the past few months, agreements were reached between the military and those four communities on federal reimbursements for water supply resources impaired by MMR pollution.

 

Today, a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed by the Adjutant General of the Massachusetts National Guard and the four water superintendents outlining a process for addressing future water-related issues of concern to the Upper Cape water suppliers.

 

Finally, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has

 

agreed to move ahead with the promulgation of clean up and drinking water standards for

 

perchlorate, a recently discovered chemical contaminant associated with the use of rocket propellants and other sources. The military, in separate letters to Romney and the Bourne Water Superintendent, has agreed to comply with all applicable duly promulgated state regulations including these new clean up and drinking water standards, and to continue the current pace of environmental clean up activities without regard to the lease extension.

 

> “The water suppliers are most grateful to the Governor for his commitment to resolve the water supply issues that are so critical to the Upper Cape and for the assistance of his administration in successfully negotiating this understanding with the military that will help us continue to provide safe drinking water to the residents of the Towns of Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee and Sandwich,” said David Rich, Chairman of the Board of Managers of the Upper Cape Regional Water Supply Cooperative.

 

Efforts to clean up MMR and to protect the drinking water of the Upper Cape will continue to be a central focus of federal, state and regional resources over the coming decades, with or without the lease extension. Securing federal base modernization funds could help in this effort by ensuring an active and invested tenant.

 

The lease extensions offer a number of other benefits: it extends the MOA signed in 2001, grants additional state access to the site (in the Cantonment Area) for environmental monitoring and compliance, and prevents extension of the PAVE PAWS license beyond 2026 without a public process.

 

###

 

MMR LEASE EXTENSION

 

Fact Sheet and Response to Comments

 

Background:

 

The Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) property is divided into two areas:

 

The Cantonment area is the southern 5,000 acres of the base where all development and intensive activities occur and where development is planned consistent with the comprehensive Master Plan.

The northern 15,000 acres, known as the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve, is the training area of the base called Camp Edwards. It contains large tracts of permanently protected open space and forested areas where National Guard and Reservists units from the northeast practice maneuvering, set up and secure camps, and conduct training scenarios. The Reserve sits atop the apex of the sole source aquifer for the Cape (the so-called Sagamore Lens) and an impact area where contamination exists from unexploded ordinance and unspent fuel.

Why is the military seeking lease extensions for the MMR?

Buildings within the Cantonment area that are utilized by the Massachusetts National Guard were constructed during WWII and must be revitalized. Modernizing these old structures and creating new ones will bring the base up to current building standards, making it able to support operational missions. The proposed base modernization projects have already undergone state environmental review and a length community master planning process.

 

Federal funding from the Department of Defense (DoD) is needed to modernize MMR. Repair, maintenance and military construction projects within the Cantonment area are proposed over the next 15 to 20 years. The lease extension will provide an assurance to the federal government that this investment is well spent – in other words, the military will be able to utilize the facility for at least 25 years after these major capital projects are completed.

 

By extending the length of the lease, Massachusetts is also demonstrating its strong commitment to having a significant military presence in our state. This is particularly important at this time as the Department of Defense is undergoing its Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005 process. Massachusetts is committed to the long-term viability of MMR, which is so important to the men and women who train there, to our collective homeland security, and to the regional economy of Cape Cod.

 

Why does the lease extension have to include Camp Edwards?

 

While the northern 15,000 acres is not the focus of these proposed military infrastructure investments, Camp Edwards is included in the lease extension as an integral component of the base that is vital to its future as a comprehensive training facility. This area, known as the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve, is currently being transferred to the care and custody of the Division of Fish and Game where the land will remain permanently protected as open space. All uses, including limited training activities, will be carefully monitored to ensure that they comply with the rigorous Environmental Performance Standards.

 

Does the lease extension give the military carte blanche approval to construct new buildings throughout the base?

 

In July of 2001, after an extensive public process that lasted more than four years, a comprehensive Master Plan for the base was developed, reviewed and found adequate under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) in July of 2001. The base modernization projects proposed in the Cantonment area that independently trigger MEPA thresholds will have to file for further environmental review. No construction is planned for the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve and no development is allowed in this area.

 

How would a long-range military presence at the MMR impact the environment?

 

All intensive military activities take place within the Cantonment area and they are conducted in accordance with applicable state, federal and DoD environmental regulations. Any future military activities will also be conducted in accordance with all applicable federal and state regulations. The lease extension does offer the Commonwealth additional access to the Cantonment area to allow for environmental inspection and monitoring.

 

Will the lease extension allow a longer period of time for cleanup of the base?

 

While serious contamination has occurred in the past as a result of military activities within the Cantonment area and the impact area, efforts are on-going to clean up the contamination under the oversight of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The clean up schedule is based on the requirements of existing laws and regulations, not on the length of the lease. Additionally, the DoD has pledged to continue to invest heavily in these clean up activities as well as efforts to address water supply contamination resulting from activities at MMR.

 

Have the towns reached agreement with the military on the water supply issues?

 

The military has worked with the Water Superintendents of the four surrounding communities (Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, and Sandwich) to address outstanding issues relative to existing contamination of area water supplies. Substantial progress has been made and both the towns and the military are anxious to continue these efforts. The Massachusetts National Guard has also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the four Water Superintendents outlining a new cooperative and interactive process for resolving any future water supply issues.

 

What about perchlorate?

 

Perchlorate, a newly uncovered and currently unregulated groundwater contaminant, poses significant concern to the Town of Bourne and the other Upper Cape communities. Over the past months the Water Superintendents have received written assurance from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that state regulations governing perchlorate contamination will be promulgated early next year. In addition, the Army has provided written assurance to the Town of Bourne that they will comply with all duly promulgated and applicable state standards and work hand in hand with the communities to address the issue of alternative water supplies.

 

Does the lease extension impact the recently created Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve?

 

Given the need to permanently protect the water supply and wildlife habitat in the northern area of the base, the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve was created through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the military and the state and codified into law in March of 2002. This agreement and law established a new management structure to monitor and enforce a set of Environmental Performance Standards to ensure that current and future military training - and any other activities occurring in the Reserve - would be compatible with efforts to protect the water supply and wildlife habitat.

 

The lease extension incorporates and extends this Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the life of the lease. It ensures that military training at Camp Edwards in the Reserve will not negatively impact the environment. The MOA has in it 18 Environmental Performance Standards (EPSs), guidelines for what can and cannot be done in the Upper Cape Water Reserve that go above and beyond already existing state and federal regulations. An example of an EPS is that none of the Reserve can be developed.

 

Is the Northern 15,000 acres still permanently protected open space under the new lease?

 

Yes. The legislation that created the upper Cape Water Supply Reserve (Chapter 47 of the Acts of 2002) called for the Northern 15,000 acres to be transferred to the Division of Fisheries and Game for water supply and wildlife habitat protection as well as for environmentally compatible military training purposes. The legislation explicitly envisioned continued military training in the Northern portion of MMR subject to environmental performance standards. The lease extension honors the intent of this legislation by incorporating the Memorandum of Agreement between the Commonwealth and the military.

 

We are following through with the commitment in the legislation to transfer the underlying interest in the Northern 15,000 acres, known as the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve, to the care and custody of the Department of Fish and Game where the land will remain permanently protected as open space. All uses, including limited training activities, will be carefully monitored to ensure that they comply with the rigorous Environmental Performance Standards.

 

How are the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and its Environmental Performance Standards (EPSs) for the Reserve enforced?

 

The MOA created the Environmental Management Commission (EMC), comprised of three commissioners from Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Conservation and Recreation and Department of Fish and Game. Two councils, the Citizens Advisory Council and the Science Advisory Council advise the EMC. Each of these three groups meets separately at public meetings conducted on the Upper Cape, to date they have met collectively 18 times since the inception of the MOA.

 

The EMC has full time staff at the base daily, the Executive Environmental Officer and the Environment Officer (EO) at the MMR are present daily to monitor training and environmental program activities at the Reserve. They have full access to all Massachusetts Army National Guard information and training areas. They conduct on-site inspections of training and remediation activities at the base.

 

The MOA mandates the Massachusetts Army National Guard produce an annual report. The 2002 report provided baseline information on environmental programs at Camp Edwards. The oversight committees reviewed the document and concurred with the statement in the Massachusetts Army National Guard’s first annual report that Military training is in compliance with Environmental Performance Standards.

 

Do the lease extensions and the water agreements protect the area communities from attempts to weaken the current obligations of the military to comply with environmental laws and regulations?

 

The MOA governing the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve established environmental performance standards governing all activities conducted within the area of Camp Edwards to ensure the permanent protection of drinking water and wildlife habitat. These standards, many of which are more rigorous than current regulatory requirements, will be in place for the life of the lease extensions regardless of any change in federal or state law. In addition, the military has provided written commitments to continue the clean up of MMR, to comply with all duly promulgated applicable state standards and to work closely with the four area communities to address drinking water issues. Lastly, Governor Romney has stated his intention to oppose any congressional action that would weaken the military’s obligation to comply with environmental standards at MMR.

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