The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. General Services Administration announced today that they are dropping plans for the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC) on 2000 acres of farmland in Ruthsburg, Queen Anne’s County. The facility, which would have covered over 1200 acres, including fast tracks for speed chases, firing ranges, machinegun fire, and bomb explosions, would have trained an estimated 10,000 people annually in anti-terrorism tactics and as guards to people as diverse as US athletes aboard and foreign ‘friends’ of the US such as President Karzai. According to a Washington Post article, the current State Department training program employs 35,000 scattered around the country in 19 rented facilities. The Ruthsburg facility would have consolidated many of those.
From the beginning, local opposition arose based on anticipated impacts of machinegun fire, fast track noise and emissions, traffic, and other environmental impacts, including potential harm to the habitat of the beleaguered fox squirrel, which has been seen in that area.
Local officials who supported the plan expected the facility to add 400 jobs to the local economy during construction. Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Rep. Frank Kratovil had initially lobbied for the facility’s placement in Maryland but backed off when a vocal segment of the local population opposed it. Currently it is speculated that instead, the facility will be built in West Virginia.
For more information, see:
https://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2010/06/feds_kill_terrorism_training_s.html
Doneitall says
Oh, goodie. Bring on the 2000 homes. Be careful what you wish for…
geobart says
Another opportunity pushed aside. Queen Anne’s County’s loss is West Virginia’s gain.
rachel carter goss says
“machinegun fire, fast track noise and emissions, traffic, and other environmental impacts,”
Exaggeration – all of the above would have been handled in a controlled enviroment w/in a state-of-the-art facility/campus…
“including potential harm to the habitat of the beleaguered fox squirrel, which has been seen in that area.”
Bull – the DMVFS loses it’s habitat thru deforestation – the GSA et al had plans to plant 100K trees and the campus would have been approx 90% Open Space.
Education Advocate says
Short sighted NIMBY decision! Where will jobs come from ???What will spur growth????
Chris says
A sad week for the local economy. Just proves that strong armed lawyers can push whatever they want, whenever they want.
With a significant portion of our population still looking for jobs, fewer long term employment opportunities and a decreasing tax base… how can QA continue to not support any growth at all (except for housing developments – they seem to have no problem converting farm fields into those, including Ruthsburg) and maintain itself?
This whole process was hijacked from the begnining. Lies, propaganda and baseless attacks worked to move a loud minority. Its hard to be proud about that.
Andrea says
Is this an opinion piece, or a news piece?
If it is the latter, there is a lot of baseless conjecture and editorializing that other commenters pointed out.
I would hope the Spy would try to adhere to an actual news reporting standard.
Gren Whitman says
Sayonara and bon voyage, dear “FASTC,” and good riddance. Tuckahoe Creek and Tuckahoe State Park will remain protected, and available as ever for local folks and visitors who value peace and quiet and and the natural order.
“More jobs” and “more growth” are a shopworn, short-sighted anthem.
In fact, more jobs and more growth are what’s wrecking our landscapes and our environment and devaluing our state and our nation. More roads and bridges, more monster McMansions on 1/8-acre parcels, more shopping centers peddling more cheap goods made by non-union workers, including children, more cars, more boats, more second homes, more things, more stuff, more, more, more, etc.
Excuse me, but what we really need is less growth, not more, including less population growth.
Yes, less population growth! Let’s stop tax incentives for more children and offer instead tax incentives for fewer children.
West Virginia — once the “Mountain State” — is a great place to locate FASTC, with so many flat, empty spaces there that once were beautiful, unspoiled mountains. West Virginia’s the perfect example of “we had to destroy it to save it.”
geobart says
“… shopworn, short-sighted anthem” huh? I must respectfully disagree…
As the parent of two teen-aged young adults, I worry about the viability of life here on the Shore. Opportunities for our young people are few and far between. Simply put – where do our young people go for jobs to support themselves? Or do we want a welfare state here too?
The Eastern Shore has little (if any) political clout to gain infrastructure improvements. So when one is practically handed to us, we turn it away (in a region that traditionally has lagged well behind the rest of the State). I’ve lived here for a quarter century and am absolutely amazed (not in a good way) how people cling to out dated ideas in the name of “preservation of the Eastern Shore.” I’ve got a news flash for you… the two ideals are not mutually exclusive!
Turning away opportunities is the sure fire way to destroy what we so dearly cherish. People cannot live here without jobs. Its just as simple as that.