Comments on: State BRAC subcabinet meets in Rockville http://www.maplewoodcitizens.org/posts/2007/10/24/state-brac-subcabinet-meets-in-rockville/ A forum to publicize neighborhood issues, share information, and promote community Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:06:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Anonymous http://www.maplewoodcitizens.org/posts/2007/10/24/state-brac-subcabinet-meets-in-rockville/comment-page-1/#comment-2372 Anonymous Fri, 28 Dec 2007 00:47:16 +0000 http://www.maplewoodcitizens.org/posts/2007/10/24/state-brac-subcabinet-meets-in-rockville/#comment-2372 The US Navy recently released its draft environmental impact study (DEIS) for the consolidation of the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) and Walter Reed Medical Center. <ul> Unfortunately, the DEIS suffers from flaws that understate the expansion's likely environmental impacts. Two related findings are noteworthy: <li>First, adding ~500,000 patient visits per year is predicted to increase the number of congested intersections during peak PM commutes near NNMC. In other words, the area will go from 5 failing intersections to 5. The number of failing intersections in the area doubles if one counts those beyond Montgomery County’s "acceptable" range (i.e., >1450 vehicles/hour). The report obscures both of these points.</li> <li>Second, despite the likely worsening of many roads due to NNMC expansion, the U.S. Navy may have no obligation to fund or manage improvements outside of the base’s perimeter.</li> </ul> County and state leaders must act now to address these issues. We need rigorous traffic surveys and effective solutions to all adverse expansion-related environmental impacts. Most importantly, our leaders must obtain sufficient funding from federal sources for infrastructural improvements. Otherwise, remedying the impacts caused by an unfunded federal mandate will burden county and state governments to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. The US Navy recently released its draft environmental impact study (DEIS) for the consolidation of the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) and Walter Reed Medical Center.

    Unfortunately, the DEIS suffers from flaws that understate the expansion’s likely environmental impacts. Two related findings are noteworthy:

  • First, adding ~500,000 patient visits per year is predicted to increase the number of congested intersections during peak PM commutes near NNMC. In other words, the area will go from 5 failing intersections to 5. The number of failing intersections in the area doubles if one counts those beyond Montgomery County’s “acceptable” range (i.e., >1450 vehicles/hour). The report obscures both of these points.
  • Second, despite the likely worsening of many roads due to NNMC expansion, the U.S. Navy may have no obligation to fund or manage improvements outside of the base’s perimeter.

County and state leaders must act now to address these issues. We need rigorous traffic surveys and effective solutions to all adverse expansion-related environmental impacts.

Most importantly, our leaders must obtain sufficient funding from federal sources for infrastructural improvements. Otherwise, remedying the impacts caused by an unfunded federal mandate will burden county and state governments to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

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