Action Alert: Stop WA Senate Bill 6456 from handing DoD our land use rights
Coupeville Community Allies needs your help with one last push on Friday February 2nd through Sunday February 4th to keep Senate Bill 6456 from leaving the Ways and Means Committee and reaching the floor of the Washington State Senate.
Summary:
Senate Bill 6456 claims to improve civilian-military incompatibility in Washington State but its real intention is to take land use decisions away from communities and give them to the Department of Defense. The bill reduces civilian-military incompatibility by taking away power from civilians.
Civilian-military incompatibility is already well-addressed in the Growth Management Act legislation.
This act is unnecessary and represents a power grab by the DoD and the Washington Military Alliance, a private lobbying group for military expansion, partially financed by the State, whose director also happens to be State Representative Kristine Reeves.
Under the guise of the DoD's Joint Land Use Studies, this bill seeks to force the DoD's recommendations to be adopted by the community. Don't be fooled, the public does not have a guaranteed role in the JLUS process.
In addition, SB 6456 grants powers to any size military base (even very small, closed, reserve or inactive bases) to oppose land use actions not just next to them, but anywhere in the vicinity of their current or future operations - as defined by their base commander. This essentially covers the entire State.
And, it sets aside $25 million dollars of State funds to subsidize military expansion.
Because of your help, the House version of this bill did not make it out of committee. We don't want SB 6456 to either.
No amendments make this bill suitable. SB 6456's entire purpose is to expand the military footprint in Washington State by reducing public participation in the process. It needs to die in committee
We need your help to oppose this bill and keep it from leaving the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and we need your help
Friday February 2 to Sunday February 4th.
ACTION
Please express your opposition to the bill
by cutting and pasting the talking points below into the
State webform for Ways and Means Chair Senator Christine Rolfes
(it meets the 1000 character limit)
We are setting a goal of 1,000 comments against this bill.
Talking Points:
SB6456 is unnecessary as civilian-military incompatibility is already well-addressed in the GMA.
SB6456 takes local decision-making powers away from cities and counties and gives them to the Department of Defense, allowing for expansion of any military mission in the State.
SB6456 makes it mandatory for planning commissions to adopt the DoD recommendations from its Joint Land Use Studies with no guarantees for public input or participation.
SB6456 allows base commanders to oppose land use decisions if they deem there is conflict with present or future operations, regardless if those missions are compatible with affected communities.
SB6456 gives these powers to any military facility of any size, even those in inactive status.
SB6456 takes $25 million from our State funds to pay for military base expansion and the operation of the private Washington Military Alliance, the executive director of which is a current State Representative – Kristine Reeves.
Vote not to recommend.
Thank you for your support!
Civilian and military compatibility is vitally important. There needs to be balance restored to the communities that support the military, like ours.
Depriving the public of their rightful role in land use decisions and ceding more power to the military is not consistent with a democratic society.
Coupeville Community Allies