BOURNE – Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 officials said that they will extend the time it will take to complete the Sole Source Aquifer (SSA) project review for the proposed machine gun range for Joint Base Cape Cod, a move applauded by state lawmakers.
The review is now expected to be finished by the end of 2022, instead of this spring.
U.S. Senators for Massachusetts Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Bill Keating said in a joint statement that the review will more thoroughly determine whether the range has the potential to damage local water quality and create a public health hazard.
“Today’s announcement from EPA Region 1 further demonstrates the agency’s continued commitment to conducting a comprehensive Sole Source Aquifer review of the proposed machine gun range project at Camp Edwards on Joint Base Cape Cod,” said the lawmakers. “We commend the EPA for extending its timeline for reviewing the dangers this proposed gun range could pose to public health, public safety, and our public lands.”
The Massachusetts Army National Guard previously found that the range would have no significant impact on the local environment, though opponents have requested that officials allow third parties to make a review as well.
Lawmakers previously sent a letter to the Army National Guard expressing concerns about a proposed range at Camp Edwards and requested that the Guard consider conducting a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the range.
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