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Multi-Purpose Training Range at Fort Indiantown Gap Put on Hold

Posted on: Friday, 2 May 2008, 15:00 CDT

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Army National Guard has decided to delay plans to construct a multi-purpose training range at Fort Indiantown Gap, Major General Jessica L. Wright, state adjutant general, announced today.

"After consulting with the National Guard Bureau on the status of this project, I concluded that we have run out of time to ensure that we could commit available federal funds and begin construction of the multi-purpose training range within established deadlines," Wright said. "Exercising prudent fiscal management, I decided it was best to delay the multi-purpose training range project for the time being and to shift those funds to other projects, rather than risk losing this spending authority."

The multi-purpose training range was planned to provide training opportunities for crews operating the Guard's M1A1 Abrams Tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Construction of the range was budgeted at $15.3 million, which is the amount that is being requested for reallocation to other National Guard projects.

"The support of Governor Rendell and his staff, and the cooperation of the Pennsylvania Game Commission and other agencies, have enabled us to move this project far along the track to successful completion," said Wright. "We waited as long as the National Guard Bureau and I thought prudent to make a decision to seek permission to reprogram the funding for this project."

The project attracted public controversy when detailed ricochet analyses performed by the Army showed the need to extend the range's safety buffer onto a 900-acre area of State Game Lands 211 for up to 90 days each year when the range would be in operation. In September, DMVA and the Game Commission entered into a cooperative land use agreement to permit occasional use of the 900 acres.

Despite postponing plans for construction of the training range, the National Guard will move forward with completion of the environmental documentation for the project under the National Environmental Policy Act. There will be a 30-day public comment period on the supplemental environmental assessment. This is a continuation of DMVA's long-standing commitment to undertake and complete a thorough environmental review of the proposed use of a portion of State Game Lands 211. The assessment will be completed in the next few months.

In seeking to fund the multi-purpose training range project in the future, the department will work with the National Guard Bureau to assess how it will best fit into the evolving missions and weapons systems assigned to the Pennsylvania National Guard.

"When the concept for this project was first advanced more than five years ago, we made a pledge that we would construct a safe range in accordance with Army standards that could be operated without significant environmental impacts," said Wright. "That pledge remains in effect even as this project is delayed to allow us to better use the available funding."

CONTACT: Lt. Col. Chris Cleaver 717-861-8468

Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

CONTACT: Lt. Col. Chris Cleaver of the PA Department of Military andVeterans Affairs, +1-717-861-8468

Web Site: http://www.dmva.state.pa.us/

Source: PRNewswire-USNewswire

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