Boston (August 24, 2021) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Congressman Bill Keating (MA-09) released the following statement today after the Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 informed the Army National Guard and the Department of Defense that the agency will conduct a Sole Source Aquifer Review of the proposed Multi-Purpose Machine Gun (MPMG) Range at Camp Edwards to assess whether the project poses “significant hazard to public health.”

 

“We commend EPA Region 1’s decision to order a Sole Source Aquifer review of the proposed machine gun range project at Camp Edwards on Joint Base Cape Cod. We must fully understand the impacts this gun range poses to public health, public safety, and our public lands,” said the lawmakers in a statement. “We are hopeful that this review will identify the potential environmental impact this project could have and provide much-needed answers to the residents of Cape Cod who remain concerned about the construction of this gun range.”

 

The Army National Guard has proposed an eight-lane machine gun range at Camp Edwards, the Massachusetts Army National Guard training area located on Joint Base Cape Cod (JBCC). If opened, this MPMG would be the first of its kind in Massachusetts and would be used for training and weapons qualification. Residents in the Town of Bourne, where the range would be located, and surrounding communities have expressed concerns about the possible environmental impact of the MPMG. This includes concerns about contamination of the local water supply – which has already occurred in the area around the Joint Base Cape Cod – and about the wildlife around the site. In August 2020, a draft “Finding of No Significant Impact” (FONSI) was released and since then a number of local advocates have continued to oppose the project. 

 

In April, Senators Markey and Warren, along with Congressman Keating, sent a letter to the Army National Guard expressing concerns about a proposed MPMG Range at Camp Edwards and requested that the Guard consider conducting a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the range.