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Feds Shelve Security Project

By Alex Altman | @aaltman82 | June 28, 2010 | +

A few month ago I posted a piece I wrote about a controversial proposal to construct a federal anti-terrorism training center on a rural patch of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. At the time, opponents of the project–which was to receive at least $70 million in stimulus funding and provide hundreds of jobs–seemed locked in an uphill battle. But today they won their fight. In the face of virulent opposition from not-in-my-backyard locals, environmental groups and Senate Republicans, federal officials announced today that they are abandoning the plan to construct the sprawling FASTC facility in Queen Anne’s County. According to Jay Falstad, one of the locals spearheading the battle against the FASTC facility, Sen. Barbara Mikulski — originally a staunch supporter of the project — traveled to Ruthsburg to deliver the news. No replacement site has been selected, although Maryland pols are still hoping the facility will be built elsewhere in the state.

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  • nflfoghorn

    These guys against fighting crime or what?

  • grape_crush

    Hmmm…

    …the facility—which was to include test tracks for evasive driving manuevers, shooting ranges, a bomb explosion pit and mock urban neighborhood for counter-terrorist drills…

    Just what every quiet rural community needs.

  • destor23

    Not to mention all of those people firing laser rifles into the air while screaming “Yo Joe!” and wanting to be called by ridiculous codenames at all times like Duke and Roadblock.

  • centfan

    Sounds like an episode of “Mythbusters”. How come they can always find an empty airstrip to drive cars around or a remote quarry to blow up cement trucks and taxpayers never get involved.
    -
    Since this was going to be on the coast maybe Maryland figures oil-free property values are getting above 70 million by now.

  • grape_crush

    …screaming “Yo Joe!” and wanting to be called by ridiculous codenames at all times like Duke and Roadblock.

    And now, for some decidedly NSFW GI Joe fun! Meet Calvin…

    http://video.adultswim.com/robot-chicken/our-newest-member-calvin.html

  • Paul-no not that one

    “The decision to pull the plug on the Maryland site came less than 10 days after a federal judge ordered the government to expedite processing of a request by project opponents for release of internal documents about how the Maryland site was chosen. Among the requested documents are communications between key decision-makers in the executive branch and Maryland lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski and Rep. Frank Kratovil, whose home county became the preferred site for the project.
    .
    The decision to pull the plug on the Ruthsburg site throws into question the government’s commitment to release documents about the site-selection process.
    .
    “I think there is a reason that the government has continued to stonewall us on our requests. And I think there is a reason that, even after we filed a lawsuit, there are obviously things they don’t want to disclose,” said Jay Falstad of the Queen Anne’s Conservation Association, which took the government to court in April.”
    .
    Nothing to raise suspicion there. ugh

  • destor23

    Thanks g-c, I hearted that.

  • http://jcapan.wordpress.com jcapan

    Less pork to MIC, what a shame! Perhaps they can shift that $70 mil into Blackwater/XE’s coffers? If federal employees can’t do it, surely mercenaries can.

  • acameronw

    Are the locals objecting to the noise and generalized ruckus that such a facility would entail? Okay, if your part of the country is doing so well that you don’t need the jobs, I’m sure they are plenty of other communities that will line up for the opportunity.

    But I’d like to know if the people of that community are worried that the training facility would be some kind of target for terrorist attack. is that the source of their objection? That seemed to be the worry when Gitmo prisoners were going to be transferred to federal prisons. And if so, is that a legitimate fear?

  • merlanai

    Doesn’t sound any noisier than a regular military base.

  • Dee in Columbia MD

    Oh please, rural eastern shore ought to take jobs anyway they can get them. For goodness sake, where do they expect law enforcement to build a training facility in the middle of the projects? They can’t build something like this in an urban area without tearing down a lot of homes and we don’t have enough of those as it is. Besides, the Eastern shore isn’t any different from every other rura community in America that fails in their tendency to live off the tax dollars of urban and suburban dweller. For once I’d lkike the rural folks to pay their fair share of the burden, even if its just in infrastructure.

  • abdullah69

    Did these people protest when the federal government decided to build a concentration camp in Cuba? If not, why are they protesting now?

  • apr2563

    No, abdullah 69. And I doubt many objected when we invaded Iraq and took over their land. That was and still is a noisy venture.

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