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| WILSON & DOMENICI HAVE DOE LABS DROPPED FROM NEW BRAC PROCESS |
December 11, 2001 |
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| Decision Will Save New Mexico Nuclear Facilities from Closure Process
WASHINGTON -- Congresswoman Heather Wilson and U.S. Senator Pete Domenici today announced that a House-Senate conference committee has decided not to include language in the FY2002 Defense Authorization Bill that called for a round of Department of Energy (DOE) defense nuclear facilities closures in 2005.
Over the past two days, Wilson has been in talks with House Energy and Commerce Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-La.) and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Bob Stump (R-Ariz.), and late today received their commitment to remove the DOE language from the bill. The bill still includes language on DOD military base closures. Domenici was also in contact with the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee to lobby against including DOE facilities in the new 2005 BRAC process.
“The Department of Defense has failed to show the cost savings to the government from the last round of base closures,” said Wilson. “The language including Department of Energy facilities was a bad idea. The Chairman of the Armed Services Committee told me tonight that there will be no DOE BRAC authorized in the bill. He pulled the language after working with Chairman Tauzin and me.”
“I couldn’t be more pleased that the conferees have dropped plans to lump our labs and other DOE facilities in the BRAC process. It is completely unnecessary. DOE is not statutory prohibited, like the Pentagon, from closing any of its unneeded facilities. It has a good record of drawing down its facilities,” Domenici said.
“The conferees could have erred by choosing to subject DOE facilities to this process. It would have only served to darken the black cloud that already hangs over the NNSA, in terms of morale and recruiting efforts. It certainly would have distracted management attention from NNSA’s important missions,” Domenici said. “I continue to question the need for a BRAC process and whether closing more bases actually results in verified savings.”
Domenici noted that DOE over the past 12 years has downsized its infrastructure from 18 to 8 facilities, including the closure of Rocky Flats in Colorado and the DOE Hanford site in Washington.
In August, the Bush administration proposed the Efficient Facilities Initiative (EFI) Act of 2001, which would authorize the Secretary of Defense to recommend a single round of base closures and realignments to an independent commission in 2003. That proposal included facilities administered by the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) in a base closure process.
The conference agreement on the FY2002 Defense Authorization Bill could be considered by the House and Senate for a final vote later this week.
“Even if this BRAC process becomes law, I remain confident that the defense facilities in New Mexico will survive, and even thrive, under another BRAC review,” Domenici said.
“At a time of national crisis, I don’t believe we can ask the American people to mobilize for war and prepare for the closure or realignment of military bases and facilities in our communities at the same time,” said Wilson. “We have to keep our eye on the ball--winning the war on terrorism.” |
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