I personally am very critical of the need for another sub base on Hood Canal. This make work project for the Navy is using our tax dollars for military subsidies, rather than helping families, education, jobs in industries other than the military industrial complex, and other problems we face in this worse depression since the 30s. Military spending does not create wealth, as the output is not useful beyond war. We are not getting any kind of say on whether this is needed, or wanted. And the issue of how much more the Hood Canal Bridge is likely to be needing to be closed with double the sub traffic will affect our ability to get to key hospitals in Bremerton and Seattle.
. That being said, it ‘feels’ like the Navy is buying the acceptance of the environmental community with this money. Why can’t we get this money without the strings of the military attached if its’ so important? Is this saying that the military is going to do $15M worth of damage to the Hood Canal? There are so many more questions than answers…
Christopher Dunagan in the Kitsap Sun reports on what may be another approach to mitigating the negative environmental effects of large scale developments. The state and feds are reviewing a possible agreement by the Navy, which wants to build an explosives handling wharf at Bangor, to pay the Hood Canal Coordinating Council “a dollar amount based on the assessed environmental damage. The council would, in turn, oversee restoration projects that coincide with the larger goals of restoring Hood Canal.” Mitigation program could work for counties http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/sep/01/mitigation-program-could-work-for-counties/