scubagal28
Contributor
This was in the Pensacola NewsJournal this morning.
Oriskany hearing date set
Meeting marks last phase for permitting
Brett Norman
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
The federal Environmental Protection Agency has scheduled a public hearing on the reefing of the Oriskany, in what supporters of the long-delayed project are calling a major step toward sinking the rusty flattop this spring.
The Jan. 10 hearing comes in the latter part of a 30-day public comment period ending Jan. 19 and marks the final phase of a permitting process that has taken 18 months longer than initially expected.
The plan is to turn the 888-foot flattop used in the Korean and Vietnam wars into an international fishing and diving destination, the pilot project for a new program to cheaply dispose of decommissioned vessels to the benefit of coastal communities throughout the nation.
"We're excited to finally have the public meeting on the horizon," said Pat Dolan, department director for the congressional and public affairs office of the Naval Sea Systems Command, which oversees the Inactive Fleet and the Oriskany project.
Barring an unanticipated outcry from the public, the EPA will issue the approval in February, and the ship would be returned to Pensacola from Beaumont, Texas, and sunk 22.5 miles south of Pensacola before hurricane season begins June 1, EPA and Navy officials said Tuesday.
"The time line has been established right now that we had hoped for," said retired Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman, who was instrumental in luring the project to the Pensacola area in 2004. "It's a very positive step for this community. I don't think a lot of people realize what the financial impact will be."
EPA approval is what has kept the Oriskany afloat as projected sink dates have slipped by, beginning in September 2004. The repeated delays have rankled project supporters, but news of the public hearing has begun to drum up enthusiasm again in the local diving and fishing industries.
"Everybody's been whining about how tough things have been, and now we have this golden egg dropped in our lap," said Jim Phillips, co-owner of MBT Divers shop on Navy Boulevard. "Once the word gets out on this, I'm confident (the excitement) will come back strong."
Laura Niles, spokeswoman for EPA Region 4, said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Escambia County Division of Marine Resources will be responsible for implementing a program to monitor the environmental impact of the ship no later than six months after its sinking.
The Navy has spent at least $12.7 million so far on the effort -- about 4½ times the $2.8 million budget that had been approved by Congress.
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Oriskany hearing date set
Meeting marks last phase for permitting
Brett Norman
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
The federal Environmental Protection Agency has scheduled a public hearing on the reefing of the Oriskany, in what supporters of the long-delayed project are calling a major step toward sinking the rusty flattop this spring.
The Jan. 10 hearing comes in the latter part of a 30-day public comment period ending Jan. 19 and marks the final phase of a permitting process that has taken 18 months longer than initially expected.
The plan is to turn the 888-foot flattop used in the Korean and Vietnam wars into an international fishing and diving destination, the pilot project for a new program to cheaply dispose of decommissioned vessels to the benefit of coastal communities throughout the nation.
"We're excited to finally have the public meeting on the horizon," said Pat Dolan, department director for the congressional and public affairs office of the Naval Sea Systems Command, which oversees the Inactive Fleet and the Oriskany project.
Barring an unanticipated outcry from the public, the EPA will issue the approval in February, and the ship would be returned to Pensacola from Beaumont, Texas, and sunk 22.5 miles south of Pensacola before hurricane season begins June 1, EPA and Navy officials said Tuesday.
"The time line has been established right now that we had hoped for," said retired Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman, who was instrumental in luring the project to the Pensacola area in 2004. "It's a very positive step for this community. I don't think a lot of people realize what the financial impact will be."
EPA approval is what has kept the Oriskany afloat as projected sink dates have slipped by, beginning in September 2004. The repeated delays have rankled project supporters, but news of the public hearing has begun to drum up enthusiasm again in the local diving and fishing industries.
"Everybody's been whining about how tough things have been, and now we have this golden egg dropped in our lap," said Jim Phillips, co-owner of MBT Divers shop on Navy Boulevard. "Once the word gets out on this, I'm confident (the excitement) will come back strong."
Laura Niles, spokeswoman for EPA Region 4, said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Escambia County Division of Marine Resources will be responsible for implementing a program to monitor the environmental impact of the ship no later than six months after its sinking.
The Navy has spent at least $12.7 million so far on the effort -- about 4½ times the $2.8 million budget that had been approved by Congress.
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