The OLF Morphs into Another Form: It Looks Like a Mermaid but it Could be a Giant Octopus | Eastern North Carolina Now

    The counties of Beaufort, Bertie, Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell Washington and Wayne along with the Cities of Goldsboro and Washington were invited to attend an organizational meeting for a "Joint Land Use Policy Committee for the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base". The meeting was held at the Vernon James Agriculture Research Center near Roper on March 6, 2012 at 2:00 PM. It was easy to identify those who represented the counties and the City of Washington. However, it was difficult to know who represented Wayne County and the City of Goldsboro. There were 25 people in attendance ranging from environmentalists to mayors and members of the military. Oddly, the Association of County Commissioners and the League of Municipalities were present.

    The purpose of this committee is to promote understanding and cooperation among all the participants to keep the public from encroaching onto the training areas used by the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Each county and city government belonging to this organization is requested to use land use zoning and planning to support Seymour Johnson's training. Cooperation will consist of land use planning and zoning restrictions. Some, but not all, of these regulations would limit the use of wind mills, upward pointing lights, other height restrictions, solar towers, noise zones, limited development, etc, etc.

    Some of the ways to implement these plans include, establish military influence areas, building code regulations, require sound attenuation in new buildings, the purchase of development rights, and enact state laws to support unified and compatible development. They want to require disclosure of these regulations in deeds. All of this sounds a lot like past efforts to entice cities and counties to voluntarily become part of new regulations that serve the military.

    Beaufort, Bertie, Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell and Washington Counties along with the City of Washington form a contiguous area. The Wayne County boundary does not touch any of these counties.
Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson, July, 2004: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage
    The defeat of the OLF has caused the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps to try to figure out new methods to obtain absolute control over almost all of eastern North Carolina. The OLF debacle showed how unfeeling and unconcerned the military can be about our heritage and property rights. The Navy told us without hesitation that the 30,000 acres of farm land they would have acquired for the OLF would be offered to anyone who could become the high rent bidder. This would have put hundreds of farmers out of business. A farmer in Nebraska could have been farming our land.

    Another attempt to control property rights was launched during late 2012 and into early 2013. This effort was called "Market Based Conservation Initiative". Do and internet search for "Market Based Conservation Initiative". Read the contracts. Its purpose is to lease flying rights down to within 100 feet above the ground for a two mile wide training route that crossed 18 counties. This training route began in Onslow County, went to Wake County and then into the Dare County bombing range. The entire project was managed by the North Carolina Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation. They were paid a fee for their efforts. Things got a little sticky when county governments realized they were not dealing with their friendly neighborhood farm agent. The contract was to be enforced by the US Navy. The treachery in his deal was to have land owners bid to lease their property rights to the Navy and the Navy got the right to pick the low bid. This program had far reaching implications because there is no known market for these rights. Once the value is established the Navy could have applied them anywhere in the region. They could force property owners to lease, under the takings provisions of the US Constitution. They could acquire all the land they need for an OLF without any public input.

    The US Congress blindly funds these activities under a Memorandum of Understanding between the US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Defense which says the Department of Defense will provide the money for acquiring these so called "Conservation Easements" and the Department of Agriculture will use their innocent looking staff to get the contracts signed.

    I am certainly pro military. I am also pro property rights. At the present time there are no serious controversies about military training and the use of air space in eastern North Carolina other than resolving OLF issues in the Camden County area. There have been problems in other parts of the United States. The Navy is certainly the root of their problems about the OLF. They simply did not protect the boundaries of the Oceania and Fentress training fields in Virginia. They allowed encroachment. Poetic justice arrived when those who were encroaching sued the Navy and in some cases won.

    During 2013 Beaufort County assisted in the resolution of a controversy between Wayne County, the home of the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and the company that has been offering to construct wind turbines in the Pantego area. The Air Force objected to the turbines and Wayne County hired an attorney to represent their "economic" interests. The resolution of those issues was settled with an agreement between the wind turbine company and the Department of Defense. Beaufort County did not enter into this agreement but did participate in the solution to the problem.

    The formation of Joint Land Use Policy Committees is being recommended and supported by the staff of the NC Department of Agriculture, the Governor's Committee on Military Affairs, the Department of Defense, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, the NC Department of Commerce, NCDENR, Friends of Pocosin Lakes, and other environmentalists. The proposed technical advisory committee will have county planners and military planners. Ex-Officio members will be from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in addition to State and Federal Elected Officials.

    One of the stated reasons for the Joint Land Use Study Committee is to promote better understanding between Seymour Johnson and the Counties. At the present time there are no contentious issues between these six contiguous counties and Seymour Johnson. So, why do we need this formal binding agreement. Another question is why do we need the non contiguous County of Wayne and the City of Goldsboro to be a part of this agreement? The most colossal and unanswered question of all is: What will the six contiguous counties gain from binding ourselves to this agreement? The officials running Seymour Johnson can invite us to come down at any time for a heart to heart, information session or just to have tea and crumpets.

    Ninety six percent of Beaufort County is burdened by military fly ways at altitudes as low as 500 feet. These flyways are used by the Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and who ever else the government designates. All of these agencies have cooperative operations among each other. This offer appears to be made by the Air Force but it also includes their cooperative branches of the military. We are really dealing with the Department of Defense. The Department of Defense will manage these studies using their staff.

    I have worked with planning in several different forms for more than 50 years. Land use planning always involves the surrender of property rights. Consider the motives of those who are just "trying to help us get along with them". Would you want the military, the state government, , NCDENR, the Secretaries of Agriculture and Commerce, the commanders of military bases, the Department of Defense, the managers of Pocosin Lakes, Alligator River or the US Fish and Wildlife Service to have more of a say in how you can use your property. We are being asked to turn our property rights over to these people.

    Consider the Red Wolf issue, the sea turtle issue, the complete closing of beaches to protect plovers and the heavy handed federal bureaucracy to say nothing of State government dominated by the environmental lobby.

    Beaufort County elected not to become a part of the Market Based Conservation Initiative. We could not see a gain for our residents and property owners. There does not appear to be a gain for Beaufort County in the Joint Land Use Study. We are promising to encumber and diminish the property rights of our citizens by becoming a member of this group. We should continue to handle Beaufort County issues on an individual basis as they arise. Our property rights are too valuable to pledge to these outsiders.

    NOTE: Beaufort County Commissioners did not pass the resolution to participate in the Seymour Johnson Joint Land Use Study at their March 10 meeting. They cited the loss of property rights and fall out from the recent OLF controversy.