As we assumed, there is nothing we can do to stop this continued expansion of military presence in the Canal. Not even their own internal review staff can stop it. So they shop around until they find a supportive board. This should be investigated by Norm Dicks, or our Senators, but it’s likely to just be swept under the rug.
While the Navy was assuring people that a second explosives handling wharf at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor wouldn’t create new safety concerns, the military’s explosives safety board was refusing to grant a permit for it. The Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board approved the location and separation distances for three EHWs in Bangor’s 1975 master plan, but wouldn’t endorse the decision now that the Navy wants to build a second wharf 37 years later. The scenario had changed, it said in papers responding to a lawsuit filed in federal court by the group Ground Zero for Nonviolent Action. The safety board’s rejection hasn’t stalled the $715 million project. Construction began last week. The Navy apparently chose another avenue — the Secretary of the Navy Explosives Safety Certification — that allows it to deviate from DOD standards if it assumes all risks for exposed sites and potential explosion sites that don’t meet DOD safety criteria.
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/oct/01/safety-board-rejected-new-explosive-wharf-at/