Fort Benning Receives Positive Environmental Impact Statement

By Brian Mc Dearmon, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga.

Dec. 13–Fort Benning got the go signal to begin building the roads, ranges, barracks and other facilities needed to accommodate Base Realignment and Closure decisions.

On Wednesday, Fort Benning announced the completion of the environmental impact statement for BRAC, a vital step toward Benning’s plans for expansion as it absorbs the Armor Center and School, relocating from Fort Knox, Ky.

Approval of the statement — which shows how BRAC will affect the natural environment and the neighboring community — is required before any construction can take place. The environmental impact statement process took more than two years.

Among other aspects of Fort Benning’s growth, the environmental impact statement examines what the installation will do to protect threatened and endangered species in the area, and what affect the construction will have on the watershed for Fort Benning and what emissions may go into the air.

A summary of the plan was approved by the U.S. Army, and the final step was getting that summary published in the Federal Register, which occurred Wednesday.

“This is the largest hurdle in the process that we had to get over,” said Jay Brown, BRAC program manager.

No BRAC construction has taken place yet on post, Brown said.

“All of it was waiting upon this process to be formally completed,” he said. “Now that it’s complete, we can officially start construction.”

And time isn’t being wasted.

Brown said that trees may start coming down next week to make room for barracks for soldiers with the Armor School.

He said the facilities needed to accomplish the relocation of the Armor School are expected to be complete in 2010-11.

BRAC is expected to bring close to 28,000 soldiers, civilian employees, contractors and family members to the Columbus area, Brown said.

—–

To see more of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ledger-enquirer.com.

Copyright (c) 2007, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.