Civilian housing at Earle would cost U.S. taxpayers AT LEAST $360 MILLION

Roughly a month away from a big community rally we are planning, it is appropriate on a slow Monday in the NOPE news cycle to redirect readers' attention to the business case analysis we released last November, justifying the financial merits of an outright revocation or buyout of the Laurelwoood housing "outlease" (i.e. the portion covering civilian housing).

Candidly, your Navy leaders in Washington have been remiss to address such analysis, billing it as "too complicated" to analyze (see the Laurelwood EIS for full text). We are hopeful, however, that the Senate's GAO will expose what NAVFAC egregiously ignored throughout the Laurelwood Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and public comment process - that unless OUR local communities speak up, Laurelwood becomes OUR financial mess - and that the Navy and its developer will amicably reach a resolution and alleviate our headache.

The analysis considers perpetual and one-time costs and risks not only to the U.S. taxpayer through 2040 (at least a $300 million obligation, mostly to Earle-area residents, largely in terms of educational costs), but to the U.S. Navy itself (at least $60 million) if it goes thru with the civilian outlease. We would encourage all visitors to take a look at this easy-to-follow 8-page brief and invite any questions or comments at njNOPE@gmail.com and/or justsaynope@verizon.net.