This decision is a victory for common sense and public input over special interests. Now we will need to make sure whatever is developed at Homestead protects the national parks and is consistent with Everglades restoration. Environmental groups will monitor the situation closely to make sure the Record of Decision is complied with, and some environmentalists suspect Miami-Dade County may not protect the parks to their satisfaction. Officials at Miami-Dade County have proved time again that they are fully capable of being extremely inventive when it comes to destroying our national heritage. The 2,916 acre base about 25 miles southwest of Miami and seven miles east of Homestead, Florida was placed on the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund List of the nation's most hazardous sites in August 1990.
Contamination consisting of jet fuel and heavy metals exists in many small areas around the base.
Canals drain the contaminated stormwater into Biscayne National Park. Contaminated soil and groundwater have been removed and the last remedy is projected for June 2002. Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas and a group of developers worked to convince the Air Force to reaffirm its conditional support for the airport expressed in 1994. They believe it is required to revive Homestead's economy and take pressure off crowded Miami International Airport, about 30 miles away. But environmental considerations prevailed.