National Guard Plans Machine Gun Range On Cape Cod Base
BOURNE, Mass. (AP) — Plans are underway to build a machine gun range at a Cape Cod base used for training by the Massachusetts Army National Guard.
The proposal for Camp Edwards at Joint Base Cape Cod, the first of its kind in the state, is contained in a 100-page environmental assessment prepared for the Guard and an accompanying draft finding that says the project would have no significant impacts, the Cape Cod Times reports.
Most of the noise from the range would be contained on the base, but some noise could affect "multiple neighborhoods as well as an elementary school" located to the east of the range, according to a report done as part of the assessment.
The National Guard is currently accepting written comments from the public on the proposal.
Such training currently has to be done at a camp in Vermont which is about 270 miles away.
"Camp Edwards' primary mission is to prepare soldiers for combat missions overseas as well as missions to serve and protect the homeland stateside," the assessment says. "As Camp Edwards serves as the primary training site for Massachusetts, the proposed action is also needed to ensure the continued and long-term viability of Camp Edwards as a training center."
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