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Lieutenant Governor Kevin Sullivan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 27, 2005 CONTACT: Dan Tapper, 524-7372 324-9862 (Cell)
SULLIVAN THANKS STATE BUSINESS LEADERS FOR ORGANIZING TO SUPPORT SUB BASE Letter to BRAC focuses on strategic advantages, federal costs & economic impact
Lieutenant Governor Kevin Sullivan today thanked the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA), regional and local chambers of commerce throughout Connecticut, and other state business leaders for joining together to oppose the proposed federal closing and relocation of the submarine base and related naval facilities in New London and Groton. The proposed closing, as recommended by the U. S. Department of Defense, is now under review by a citizen Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). Conservative economic analysis prepared by state authorities indicates a potential $3.3 billion loss, including 31,500 jobs, to the state if the proposed closing goes forward.
The joint business letter to the BRAC commissioners focuses on the strategic military and fiscal advantages of the unique co-location of existing base, training, research, production, and port facilities, as well as other infrastructure and services and the substantial federal relocation and remediation costs that were completely ignored in the base closing proposal. The letter also takes issue with significant evidence of bias and incompleteness in the process that led to recommending closure of the Connecticut sub base and relocation to Virginia and Georgia.
As the letter to the BRAC commissioners notes, “We the undersigned business leaders join in expressing our concern that the proposed closing of Submarine Base New London in Connecticut is clearly not in the strategic military, federal budgetary or national economic interests of our nation. We do so with profound doubts about the fairness, objectivity and thoroughness of the process that led to this recommendation.”
Added Lt. Governor Sullivan, who organized the state business response, “Governor Rell has put her credibility on the line in saying that she can stop the base closing, and we all need to work with her on this in any way we can. Businesses and workers throughout the state know that this is a threat to all of us.
“As citizens, we know that compromising the success of America’s nuclear submarine capacity puts us even more at risk in an already dangerous world. As taxpayers, we know there are no real savings and only greater costs when relocation, remediation, and replacement of this unique strategic synergy are honestly assessed. And we know that the economic loss will move through the entire state like a tidal wave in terms of all the businesses that supply the base, submarine industry, and navy families in so many ways. This is a flawed and dangerous plan for Connecticut, the nation, and the world.”
On July 6th, the full BRAC Commission will convene in Boston to take further testimony in preparation for its findings due on September 8.
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