Deadline on carrier move passes; still no decision

A self-imposed Navy deadline for a decision on placing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at Mayport Naval Station in Florida has passed, although officials insist the process is still on track.

Capt. Beci Brenton, a spokeswoman for Navy Secretary Donald Winter, said the secretary has made no decision on a carrier move. "I'm not aware of any timetable" for when a decision might be made, she added.

Virginia officials have been following the process closely, fearing the loss of a carrier and the thousands of jobs that go with it. Navy officials stated in mid-December that Winter would issue a final decision by year's end.

One possible hold up - a tardy environmental study from a federal agency, said Frank Roberts, director of the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance. At least two federal environmental studies on the Navy's plan were expected by Dec. 30.

In late November, the Navy endorsed a proposal to improve Mayport Naval Station and move a nuclear carrier to the base in northern Florida.

The service argued that sending one East Coast carrier to a different homeport would improve security. Construction to make the base capable of homeporting a nuclear carrier would cost at least $565 million, according to Navy estimates.

Virginia officials are concerned that the Navy is rushing a decision to place the new carrier George H.W. Bush at Mayport.

The ship is to be commissioned Jan. 10 in Norfolk.

Federal law required Winter to wait at least 30 days before rendering a final decision. After the 30-day waiting period, there is no deadline for a final decision, said Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. John Daniels. "We want to get this done as quick as possible," he said.

The Navy asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, and the Fish and Wildlife Service to study the environmental effects of moving a nuclear carrier to Florida.

Roberts said the Fish and Wildlife Service report has not been completed.

Officials from the two agencies did not return calls seeking comment on Friday.

Last month, Sen s. John Warner and Jim Webb wrote a letter to the chiefs of both agencies expressing concern that the comprehensive reports weren't due until just before the Navy was expected to make its decision.

The Virginia senators, both former Navy secretaries, said the dredging, construction and increased ship traffic at May-port could harm protected right whales and manatees.

Even after the secretary renders a decision, Webb and new Virginia Sen. Mark Warner have vowed to fight it in Congress.

The Florida and Virginia delegations continue to compete for the ship and crew, which could bring an estimated 11,000 jobs and $650 million in annual salaries and economic activity.

The Navy will still face challenges to pay for new construction at Mayport, Roberts said. The service will have to justify construction at Mayport when ship building and maintenance budgets are stretched thin, he said.

He compared the Navy's predicament to a struggling renter making a decision on a stack of bills. "Are you going to pay your rent or are you going to pay your electric bill this month?" he asked.

Louis Hansen, (757) 446-2322, louis.hansen@pilotonline.com