Ever so slowly, but inexorably, the momentum is turning towards a smarter handling of the proposed multipurpose machine gun range at Joint Base Cape Cod. Policy makers at the state and federal levels are beginning to coalesce around a policy outcome that demonstrates that, as APCC has said all along, a necessary military training site can be provided at an alternative site in Massachusetts (Fort Devens) while drinking water on Cape Cod can be protected.
Thanks to Congressman Keating, the House Armed Services Committee’s version of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) extended funding for the Devens MPMGR while stripping from the bill an extension of the funding for the facility proposed at JBCC. The House got it right by providing an in-state training facility at a location that does not jeopardize water supplies. Next week, it is the Senate’s turn as its Armed Services Committee takes up the NDAA.
APCC has written to Senator Warren encouraging her to use her membership on the committee to ensure that that Senate follows the lead of the House to meet the dual objectives of protecting that Cape’s water supply while investing in needed training at Devens. If you have not yet written to Senator Warren, you should. Your voice matters in this debate and Senator Warren needs to hear it.
The state Environmental Management Commission, the state entity that gets the final word on if the MPMGR can be built at JBCC, met last week and provided some clarity on its approach to handling the project. The EMC chair Thomas O’Shea read this statement at the EMC meeting:
- The Environmental Management Commission’s review of the proposed Multi-Purpose Machine Gun Range continues to be suspended pending resolution by the federal government of the issues.
- Construction and operation of the proposed range cannot commence without final approval by the EMC.
- The EMC’s review, if undertaken, would include consideration of advisory committee recommendations and evaluating whether the project meets specific Environmental Performance Standards, a set of standards that guide both military and civilian users in the protection of Camp Edwards’ natural and cultural resources and the groundwater beneath the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve.
- The EMC has received the May 7th, 2024, correspondence from counsel representing the Association to Preserve Cape Cod. That letter is currently under review.
APCC applauds the EMC for making a clear statement ensuring that no work on the project can commence without its approval. The state law that created the EMC prioritizes the protection of the water supply at the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve. If the EMC does its job and looks at the full record of information, including the EPA analysis of the expected impacts of the MPMGR on the water supply, the right outcome will be the protection of the water supply and the construction of the MPMGR at Devens. Because nothing good happens by accident, we all must remain vigilant to ensure that our decision makers continue down the right policy path.
