United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office National Security and International Affairs Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1998-12-11 monographic deposited born digital 103 p. GA 1.13:NSIAD-99-36 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-36 P0b002ee18037cc49 f:ns99036 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-36 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-36 NSIAD-99-36 Military downsizing Military bases Surplus federal property Economic analysis Defense cost control Environmental monitoring Economic growth Base closures Base realignments Waste disposal DOD Base Realignment and Closure Account DOE Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act Program DOD Future Years Defense Program EPA National Priorities List Chapter Report NSIAD

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed: (1) the Department of Defense's (DOD) progress in completing action on military base realignments and closures (BRAC) recommendations and transferring unneeded base property to other users; (2) the precision of DOD's estimates of BRAC costs and savings; (3) environmental cleanup progress and estimated associated costs; and (4) reported trends in economic recovery in communities affected by base closures.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) by September 30, 1998, DOD had completed actions on about 85 percent of the four BRAC commissions' 451 recommendations; (2) in taking actions on the recommendations, DOD declared about 464,000 acres of base property as excess; (3) as of September 30, 1997, 46 percent of the unneeded BRAC property was to be retained by the federal government, 33 percent was slated for nonfederal users, and the disposition of 21 percent had not yet been decided; (4) 8 percent of the property slated for federal use has been transferred, while 31 percent of the property slated for nonfederal use has been transferred; (5) DOD officials noted a number of obstacles that must be overcome before transfer can occur; (6) by 2001, DOD estimates it will have spent $23 billion on BRAC and saved $37 billion in costs it would have incurred if BRAC actions had not occurred, for a net savings of $14 billion; (7) beyond 2001, when the last of the four rounds is complete, DOD expects to save $5.7 billion annually as a result of BRAC actions; (8) however, the cost estimates exclude certain types of federally incurred costs, some of which are funded outside of DOD BRAC budget accounts, while the savings estimates have not been routinely updated and thus are not precise; (9) a major cost factor in BRAC actions, as well as a major obstacle to the disposal of unneeded property, is the need for environmental cleanup at BRAC bases; (10) both the eventual cost and the completion date for the BRAC-related environmental program are uncertain; (11) however, available DOD data indicate that the total environmental cost will likely exceed $9 billion and that cleanup activities will extend well beyond 2001; (12) the potential for higher costs exists, given uncertainties associated with the extent of cleanup of unexploded ordnance and monitoring of cleanup remedies needed at selected sites; (13) DOD has made progress since the earlier BRAC years when it was investigating sites for contamination; and (14) the majority of communities surrounding closed bases are faring well economically in relation to the national average, according to the latest data available at the time of GAO's analysis, and show some improvement since the time closures were beginning in 1988. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-36/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-36.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-36/pdf/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-36.pdf GAO/NSIAD-99-36 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-99-36 Chapter Report GAO/NSIAD-99-36; Military Bases: Status of Prior Base Realignment and Closure Rounds; Military downsizing Military bases Surplus federal property Economic analysis Defense cost control Environmental monitoring Economic growth Base closures Base realignments Waste disposal DOD Base Realignment and Closure Account DOE Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act Program DOD Future Years Defense Program EPA National Priorities List Title 7 Section 135 7 U.S.C. 135 Title 10 Section 2701 10 U.S.C. 2701 Title 16 Section 1531 Title 16 Section 469 Title 16 Section 668 16 U.S.C. 1531 16 U.S.C. 469 16 U.S.C. 668 Title 33 Section 1251 33 U.S.C. 1251 Title 42 Section 1996 Title 42 Section 6901et seq. Title 42 Section 9601et seq. Title 42 Section 9620 42 U.S.C. 1996 42 U.S.C. 6901et seq. 42 U.S.C. 9601et seq. 42 U.S.C. 9620 Volume 104 Page 1808 104 Stat. 1808 Public Law 100-526 Public Law 101-510 Public Law 103-160 Public Law 104-201 Public Law 105-85