BRAC panel votes to close BNAS, save PNS

By BART JANSEN Washington D.C. Correspondent,

Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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In Depth: Base Closings Reader Reaction: The Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted Wednesday to close Brunswick Naval Air Station but kept open the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery. Tell us what you think of BRAC's decisions Wednesday. Visit us throughout the day for updates on today's Base Realignment and Closure Commission hearing. We will have breaking news when the commission votes on Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Brunswick Naval Air Station. KEY UPCOMING BASE-CLOSING DATES SEPT. 8: The BRAC Commission forwards its recommendations to President Bush and its justifications to Congress. BY SEPT. 23: Bush must accept or reject the recommendations in their entirety. If accepted, the decisions become final in 45 legislative days unless both the House and Senate vote to reject the list in its entirety. BY NOV. 7: The president must certify the closure list. Special section on how upcoming military base closures could affect Maine features documents from the Pentagon, a blog covering news and analysis from around the country. The section also keeps an archive of local news stories about the Brunswick Naval Air Station and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Readers also can add their comments to selected stories and vote in an online survey. Sign up for Blog Updates to be delivered to your e-mail each time the section is updated. To top of story

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted Wednesday to close Brunswick Naval Air Station and keep open the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery. The decisions prompted jubilation from shipyard supporters and disappointment from midcoast residents.

"This is a good news, bad news day for the state of Maine," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

At Brunswick, the decision means relocating 2,255 military and 52 civilian workers, and eliminating 625 military and 343 civilian jobs, under the latest commission figures.

At Portsmouth, the decision preserves 201 military and 4,032 civilian jobs, under the latest commission figures.

A vote was expected either later today or Thursday on whether to close the Defense Finance and Accounting Service office in Limestone with 360 workers.

Donald Russell, chairman of the Topsham Board of Selectmen, said the midcoast region will miss the military families assigned to the Brunswick base who called the area home.

"They have been a vital part of our community for some many years," he said. "The diverse ideas they bring, we are going to miss that."

The commission voted 7-2 to close Brunswick, rather than simply move away its surveillance aircraft as the Defense Department recommended, in order to save more money and allow redevelopment of the property.

"This is a very, very hard decision for anybody that has visited there and knows what wonderful support the state of Maine and the people of Brunswick have given it for many, many years. It's an excellent facility," said Commissioner Samuel Skinner, a former White House chief of staff. "Having said that, it is not needed any more."

The two commissioners who voted against closing the base Ð James Bilbray, D-Nev., and Phillip Coyle Ð argued that the Navy still wanted the property for possible future emergencies, so it shouldn't be turned over to private development.

"To me it makes no sense to close a base that the Navy is still going to need," said Coyle, a former assistant secretary of defense. "It is in a strategic location. It is part of a larger issue which this commission faces, which is the proposed closure of many facilities in the New England region."

Brunswick's P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft will be moved to Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida. The base's strategic location became the biggest argument against closing the only operational air base in the Northeast. The next closest is McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey.

But commission members found that closing the base would save $798 million over 20 years, compared to $239 million from simply moving away aircraft.

Commissioners voted 7-1 to keep Portsmouth open praised its value to submarine maintenance and its top-quality labor relations that serve as a model for other shipyards.

"It is the gold standard by which we should measure shipyards," said Anthony Principi, the commission chairman.

Portsmouth's defenders disputed the Navy's estimates about repair space. The Navy estimated it has 27 percent too much shipyard capacity with Portsmouth and would still have 8 percent too much space if Portsmouth closed.

But several commissioners argued that 8 percent was too narrow a margin for dealing with emergencies such as when a sub collides with another ship or undersea mountain.

"I don't use my garage 24 hours a day, but I'm not about to tear it down," Coyle said.

The only commission opponent was former Rep. James Hansen, R-Utah, who had argued that the military needs to save money through this base-closure round.

The Pentagon had estimated it could save $1.26 billion over 20 years by closing the shipyard.

Retired Adm. Harold Gehman abstained.

Today's decisions are essentially final because neither President Bush nor Congress can change the commission's closure list.

In Kittery, shipyard workers were thrilled at the news. "This is a great day," said David O'Brien, a shipyard worker and Kittery fire chief. "You can't measure how happy everyone is. This is just an outstanding day."

The Maine decisions are part of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's broad plan to close 33 major bases and reduce 29 others in an effort to save $50 billion during the next 20 years.

Based on voting this week, the commission must send Bush its final report by Sept. 8. Bush would then have until Sept. 23 to disapprove the entire list without changes.

If Bush rejects the list, the commission could change it and resubmit it by Oct. 20.

Once the president accepts the list, he must certify it by Nov. 7. Congress must either accept or reject it in its entirety. Rejecting the list would require a joint resolution within 45 days of receiving the list from Bush.

The military must begin closing the selected bases within two years and complete the process within six years.

Staff writers Jen Fish, Dennis Hoey and Mark Peters contributed to this report.

Washington D.C. Correspondent Bart Jensen can be contacted at 202-488-1119 or at:

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