Fast-forward to 1:18:18

http://www.qac.org/Docs/PublicWorks/CWSP_2010_PubHearingDraft.pdf

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/141576.pdf

I am sorry that you had to waste your millions on this mailing. You could have stayed home grilling Ruthsburgers. Your arguments are false and short sided. You can hear the real big guns of Aberdeen. 9mm pistols don’t wake the corn and driver training doesn’t make as much noise as one of your pickup trucks,

By MORGAN GIBSON
Capital News Service
Wednesday, March 17, 2010

WASHINGTON – Rep. Frank Kratovil spoke out about a proposed State Department training center for the first time in months Wednesday, saying the plan shouldn’t be judged before the pending environmental assessment is complete.

“Let’s allow the process to work,” Kratovil, D-Stevensville, said in a news release. “Right now, my goal is to get the facts on the table.”

This is the first comment Kratovil has made about the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center since January, much to the disappointment of his constituents.

“We elected people, we put them into office, and they should be there for us, and they’re not,” said Sherry Adam, a Ruthsburg neighbor of the proposed site and a strong opponent of the facility.

The 2,000-acre, anti-terrorism and security training center has been the object of much debate since November when Ruthsburg’s Hunt Ray Farm was announced as the preferred site. Some locals support it for the economic boost it could bring, while others oppose the project because of potential environmental and cultural impacts.

Kratovil’s statement was a response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s letter to the General Services Administration last week that suggested a complete environmental impact statement be done before the project is made final.

The GSA is in charge of conducting the early stages of the project, and is now in the environmental assessment process, which studies the facility’s environmental effects on the area. The environmental assessment will be published later this month or in early April.

This environmental assessment determines whether or not a more detailed environmental impact statement, which would outline the facility’s impacts on the environment as well as plans to lessen these impacts, is required.

In its letter, the EPA said it believes the project may negatively affect the surrounding environment and that it “might be prudent” for GSA to consider an environmental impact statement now, as opposed to after the environmental assessment is complete.

“If the Environmental Assessment isn’t sufficient to get the necessary answers, then the EIS should proceed,” Kratovil said, “but that’s a decision that should be made in accordance with the standard procedures for reviewing a facility such as this.”

Some of Kratovil’s constituents agree the community should wait to make a judgment until after the environmental assessment is complete.

“It’s like, ‘Come on people, let them do the environmental study,’” said Linda Friday, president of the Queen Anne’s County Chamber of Commerce. “Let them finish their study and come back with whatever they come up with.”

While the Chamber of Commerce supports the project now, Friday said if the GSA comes back with negative results then its support would be rescinded.

Originally Kratovil, along with Maryland Democratic Sens. Benjamin Cardin and Barbara Mikulski supported the project. However, after locals became outraged at the GSA for not answering some of their questions, Kratovil withdrew his support in the beginning of January.

Kratovil’s most recent statement came in wake of some pretty harsh criticism from his constituents.

David Dunmyre, a Ruthsburg business owner and an opponent to FASTC, said he is not very happy about the “standoff approach” Kratovil has been taking in the project and that even though he has sent representatives to the public meetings, Kratovil himself has been out of touch.

“This is probably one of the biggest issues to face our county ever, and he doesn’t have the time to meet with us, and that’s discouraging,” Dunmyre said.

Adam said Kratovil’s initial support followed by his withdrawal has caused some concern, and this project will hurt him in the November election.

“You can pretty much guarantee…anybody who is opposed to the FASTC project will probably not be voting for Mr. Kratovil,” Adam said. “He’s been doing this flipflop-flipflop. He needs to choose a side. That’s not any kind of leadership.”

First of all we have Bald Eagles that nest nearby, and use this farm, as with many farms around, to hunt. Secondly, there is a State Park that is directly across the road from the proposed site of the facility. This park is used by Thousands of people each year, from camping to birthday parties, school trips, equestrian events, fishing, canoeing, hiking, bike trails, and Arboretum. All of these things will be severely impacted by this type of facility being built here.

To say nothing of the increased traffic, noise, and who knows what else that will come with it. We are a quiet borough, that is very community oriented. We have a community center also directly across the street from the site of this facility. This building is used by memebers and rented to non-members. This is how we pay our bills for this building. Who is going to want to rent this building for wedding receptions, birthday parities, family reunions, dinners for different businesses, etc, if there is bombs and such going off across the street. I am sure that there was SOME investigations done before this site was choosen, but, I am not sure that the RIGHT kinds of investigations were done. Many of us have lived here our entire lives, and have done such because of the sense of community. This type of facility would vastly change our sense of community and our way of life.

Not to mention the impact on the flora and fauna that abound in this area. You take away almost 3000 acres of land for the Bald Eagles to hunt on, and they will leave the area as they are very territorial birds.

I honestly took Mr Gunther’s example as, simply, an example. Drinking in the blind is Not acceptable behavior but it does, unfortunately, happen – just like drinking and driving.
I don’t feel that Mr Gunther’s example will bring an end to the positive reputation of hunting on the Shore. There has been so much word-spinning lately.
There have been many broad implications made during this situation re: FASTC. Each are relative and those who know better, know better.

On June 28, 2007 the Interior Department took the American bald eagle off the endangered species list.