FALMOUTH – State Senator for the Plymouth and Barnstable District Susan Moran (D-Falmouth) has called for the suspension of all further plans related to Joint Base Cape Cod’s proposed gun range.
In a statement to the Falmouth Select Board, Moran said that the range would lead to the breach of a decades-old agreement between military and local stakeholders.
She said the agreement dictates that thousands of acres under the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife’s jurisdiction would be conserved.
The plan for the proposed range, which would be located on top of the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve, calls for the clear cutting of about 170 acres of trees.
Opponents of the plan have contended that the range could be harmful to local drinking water, the habitat of certain wildlife species, and other aspects of the environment.
The National Guard has insisted that the range would be safe and viable for the Cape community, and the National Guard Bureau recently determined that the project would not significantly impact the ecosystem of the region. Others, however, remain unconvinced.
Moran said that she has filed legislation with State Representative for the Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket District Dylan Fernandes (D-Falmouth).
The legislation would lead to the evaluation of any expansions within the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve that calls for at least 10 acres of land to be cleared.
A protest against the gun range plan will be held on Saturday morning in Sandwich.
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