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Three groups trying to protect Cherry Point 

Craven County recently passed new regulations on tall structures that limits, and in some cases will prohibit, the erection of wind turbines that military officials say causes unsafe radar interference near the base. The state also has a new law that requires the military to be involved in the erection of tall structures such as windmills near bases and in military flight paths.

Credit:  By Drew C. Wilson, Havelock News | May 31, 2013 | www.havenews.com ~~

Whether there will be a Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 2015 is anybody’s guess. But if it does occur, the results are likely to be severe in some defense communities.

“This will probably be the last BRAC in our lifetime, and it’s going to be brutal,” said Pete Rose, a partner in the Franklin Partnership, Havelock’s hired lobbying firm in Washington, D.C.

“Some members are saying it’s not going to happen, but there is a general consensus that it has to happen with the cuts and the dialing down on two wars and the things of that nature,” Rose said. ” … I can’t imagine that it won’t happen.”

Rose, who was in Havelock last week, said a BRAC can be devastating.

“It’s very painful. It’s like a root canal for a community,” he said.

Cherry Point’s economic impact on the region was $2.2 billion in 2012, according to the base’s annual report, and the effort is on to protect those dollars.

Both the city of Havelock and Craven County have hired lobbyists in Washington, D.C., and the Allies for Cherry Point’s Tomorrow lobby group is seeking money from cities, counties and the state in its efforts to fight for the base.

Though President Obama has called for a BRAC in 2015, not everyone locally is convinced it will happen. Jamie Norment, an attorney for ACT, said he did not believe a BRAC would take place.

“The Congress has no appetite for it, but I’ve been told time and time again by civilians and active-duty military at the Pentagon that the Department of Defense needs a BRAC,” he said. “They need to realign. They need to consolidate. They need to move assets around to be more efficient and to maximize their potential, so absolutely we have to prepare for a BRAC whether it occurs in two years or further off.”

Rose said the region can’t take the base and its assets for granted when preparing for a BRAC.

“It’s not enough to just love your base,” he said. “It’s not enough to just go to Washington and tell your members of congress that you love your base, and please don’t take it away.”

Rose said the key is early preparation. A BRAC closure list could come out as early as April of 2015, and Rose said local leaders and residents should spend every day working to make sure Cherry Point and Fleet Readiness Center East are not on the list.

“Whether it’s new missions, whether it’s new military construction issues, anything you can do to demonstrate the long-term viability of this facility,” he said. “The other issue out there is depot consolidation, so you’ve got two challenges. You’ve got not just your operational challenges of assets and personnel but you’ve also got to keep your eye on the depot situation.”

Norment said civilian encroachment on Cherry Point, its bombing ranges and outlying fields such as Bogue Air Field in Carteret County is one of the most important areas analyzed during a BRAC.

“If you don’t have training fields … the value of Cherry Point, even though it’s a wonderful facility, is diminished greatly,” he said. “Anytime we try to build wind turbines, for example, or other kinds of development that encroach on the training ranges, we are going to do a disservice to the future of the air station.”

Havelock has a history of curtailing development and encroachment around Cherry Point, including the creation of Aircraft Installation Compatibility Use Zones to curtail construction at the end of the runways. The city has passed sound attenuation building codes and has worked with the county and N.C. Coastal Land Trust to keep property outside the base from being developed.

Craven County recently passed new regulations on tall structures that limits, and in some cases will prohibit, the erection of wind turbines that military officials say causes unsafe radar interference near the base. The state also has a new law that requires the military to be involved in the erection of tall structures such as windmills near bases and in military flight paths.

Rose said Havelock, Craven County and ACT must work together to present a united message in defense of Cherry Point.

“If there is any disunity or the perception of it, that will have the effect of freezing your potential political support,” he said.

As such, Rose is scheduled to meet with members of Craven County’s hired lobbying firm, Cassidy and Associates, today. Marc Finlayson, a consultant for ACT, also recently met with Cassidy.

For the current fiscal year, the state allocated $125,000 to help protect Cherry Point, with $65,000 going to ACT and $60,000 to Craven County. However, currently no money is included in the proposed state budget for lobbying or protection of any military bases in the state.

Havelock is paying $45,000 annually to the Franklin Partnership to lobby for all city issues, which includes issues related to Cherry Point.

“I think you could ask any of them what the goal is and that is to protect and grow Cherry Point, and I don’t think anybody’s in disagreement about that,” Finlayson said. “Be it Franklin Partnership, be it Cassidy, be it Ward and Smith, be it ACT, be it Craven County or be it the city of Havelock, I think that we all agree that that is the goal that we all are striving for.”

Source:  By Drew C. Wilson, Havelock News | May 31, 2013 | www.havenews.com

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

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