Feb. 19, 2013
Public Comments USAEC
Attn: IMPA-AE (Army 2020 PEA)
To Whom it May Concern:
This letter is to comment on the Department of the Army’s Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) and draft Finding of No Significant Impact for Army force structure reductions and realignments that may occur from Fiscal Years 2013-2020, specifically in reference to the evaluation of the impact of force structure reductions at Fort Polk, La.
First, the PEA, where Fort Polk is concerned, contains false and erroneous information which is outlined in the attached document.
Much of the physical and economic data concerning Fort Polk and the surrounding communities contained in the PEA is old and thus leaves out year’s worth of infrastructure improvements and investment made by the state and local communities in preparation for growth at Fort Polk.
Second, If the Department of the Army is set to make a decision concerning force structure reductions at Fort Polk, a decision that would essentially annihilate the economy of Leesville and Vernon Parish and also significantly impact the economy of the entire state of Louisiana, it is imperative that the decision be based upon correct and the most up to date information.
Since a great deal of information in the PEA concerning Fort Polk is incorrect, I urge you to not only revise the PEA concerning Fort Polk to include the correct and most up to date information, but also to extend the deadline for commenting an additional 30 days so that all stakeholders have an opportunity to develop comments based upon correct information.
Third, if for some reason the Department of the Army continues forward with the decision-making process without extending the commenting period, we urge the Department to consider the impact that losing approximately 5,000 Soldiers would have on not only Vernon Parish, but the entire state of Louisiana.
A troop reduction of 5,300 soldiers would in effect be a population loss of about 13,000 people, when contractors, support personnel and dependents are taken into account. The economy in Vernon Parish alone would take hits to its major contributors, including the education system and public safety systems. The Vernon Parish and Beauregard Parish school systems stand to lose significant funding if the force reduction occurs.
The full impact on the state of Louisiana is the troop reduction goes forward has yet to be determined, but it’s certain it would be a staggering blow to Louisiana’s economy since Fort Polk is the single largest driving force of the economy here.
I strongly urge the Department of the Army to first of all include correct and the most up-to-date information available in the PEA before using the document to make any decisions about troop reductions at Fort Polk. Second, whether the corrected information is considered or not, the impact of Fort Polk losing 5,300 soldiers and civilian workers would be severe on the economy of the parish, region and state.
Sincerely,