[CPEO-IRF] Oceana Naval Air Station (VA) motion

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Here is the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission's approved
motion on the future of the Oceana Naval Air Station, Virginia.

Motion Number: 193-4A

Overview: A Motion to Make Additional Recommendation 3, Naval Air
Station, Oceana, Virginia, to appear at Chapter XI, Section 193 of the
Bill. Realigns Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach, VA by
relocating the East Coast Master Jet Base to Cecil Field, FL,
conditioned on prior actions by the State of Florida. 

- that the Commission find that when the Secretary of Defense failed to
recommend the realignment of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach,
Virginia, he substantially deviated from Final Selection Criteria 1, 2,
3, 4 and 5 and the Force Structure Plan; 

- that the Commission add to the list of installations to be closed or
realigned the recommendation: 

- "Realign Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia by relocating the East
Coast Master Jet Base to Cecil Field, Florida, 

- if the Commonwealth of Virginia and the municipal governments of
Virginia Beach, Virginia and Chesapeake, Virginia fail to enact and
enforce legislation to prevent further encroachment of Naval Air Station
Oceana by the end of March 2006, to wit: 

- enact State-mandated zoning controls requiring the cities of Virginia
Beach and Chesapeake to adopt zoning ordinances that require the
governing body to follow Air Installation Compatibility Use Zone (AICUZ)
guidelines in deciding discretionary development applications for
property in Noise Level 70 dB Day Night Average Noise Level DNL or
greater; 

- enact sate and local legislation and ordinances to establish a program
to condemn and purchase all the property located within all the Accident
Potential Zone One areas for Naval Air Station Oceana as depicted for
1999 AICUZ Pamphlet published by the U.S. Navy. 

- codify the 2005 Final Hampton Roads Joint Land Use Study (JLUS)
recommendations; 

- legislate requirements for the cities of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake
to evaluate undeveloped properties in Noise Zones 70dB DNL or greater
for rezoning classifications that would not allow uses incompatible
under AICUZ guidelines; 

- establish programs for purchase of development rights of the
Inter-facility Traffic Area between NAS Oceana and NALF Fentress; Enact
legislation creating the Oceana/Fentress Advisory Council" at Chapter
XI, Section 193 of the Bill, and; 

- and if the State of Florida: 

-appropriates sufficient funds to relocate commercial tenants presently
located at Cecil Field, Florida, 

- appropriates sufficient funds to secure Public Private Ventures for
all the personnel housing required by the Navy at Cecil Field to
accomplish this relocation, and; 

- turns over fee simple title to the property comprising the former
Naval Air Station Cecil Field, including all infrastructure improvements
that presently exist, to the Department of Defense on or before December
31, 2006, if the Commonwealth of Virginia and the municipal governments
of Virginia Beach, Virginia and Chesapeake, Virginia decline from the
outset to take the actions required above, or within six months of the
Commonwealth of Virginia and the municipal governments of Virginia
Beach, Virginia and Chesapeake, Virginia failing to carry through with
any of the actions set out above, whichever is later. The State of
Florida may not encumber the title by any restrictions other than a
reversionary clause in favor of the State of Florida and short-term
tenancies consistent with the phased relocation of the Master Jet Base
to Cecil Field. 

- If the Commonwealth of Virginia and the municipal governments of
Virginia Beach, Virginia and Chesapeake, Virginia fail to take all of
the prescribed actions, and the State of Florida meets the conditions
established by this recommendation, the units and functions that shall
relocate to Cecil Field will include, but are not limited to, all of the
Navy F/A-18 Strike Fighter Wings, aviation operations and support
schools, maintenance support, training and any other additional support
activities the Navy deems necessary and appropriate to support the
operations of the Master Jet Base. at Chapter XI, Section 193 of the
Bill, and; 

- that the Commission find this additional recommendation is consistent
with the Final Selection Criteria and Force Structure Plan. 



Additional statement of the Commission: 

The BRAC 2005 report language shall state: 

"It is the sense of the Commission that the Secretary of Defense
deviated from the BRAC criteria by failing to consider NAS OCEANA for
closure or realignment. The long standing and steadily worsening
encroachment problem around NAS OCEANA, without strong support from
State and City governments to eliminate current and arrest future
encroachment, will in the long term, create a situation where the
military value of NAS OCEANA will be unacceptably degraded. The remedies
presented to the Commission thus far have been unconvincing. 

It is also the sense of the Commission that the future of Naval Aviation
is not Naval Air Station Oceana. The Commission urges the Navy to begin
immediately to mitigate the noise encroachment and safety issues
associated with flight operations around the Virginia Beach area by
transitioning high intensity training evolutions to other bases that are
much less encroached such as Navy Outlying Filed Whitehouse, Florida or
Kingsville, Texas. 

The Secretary of Defense is directed to cause a rapid, complete, due
diligence review of the offer of the State of Florida to reoccupy the
former NAS Cecil Field and to compare this review against any plan to
build a new master jet base at any other location. This review is to be
completed within six months from the date the BRAC legislation enters
into force, and is to be made public to the effected states for comment. 

After review of the states comments, which shall be submitted with 120
days after publishing the review, the Secretary of Defense shall forward
to the oversight committees of Congress the review, the states' comments
and his recommendation on the location of the Navy's future Atlantic
Fleet Master Jet Base." 





-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope 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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