Date: 1983-02-03
Speaker: EDWIN L. HARPER (republican)
Chamber: S

Chairman. Property Review Board. The White House. Washington. D.C. DEAR MR. HARPER: Thank you for your recent letter. Many citizens have written me to convey their fear that large sales of federal properties may negatively impact present zoning policies in Maryland communities. Many employees of the affected federal agencies have relayed their concern that proposed land transfers could damage their professional working environment. County officials have reviewed the preliminary inventory developed by the Property Review Board and have concluded that these proposals are not in the public interest. For these reasons. I wish to protest the reported "excess acreage" at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (Parcels 5 and 13). As you know. USDA has "chipped away" more than 1200 acres of the Center over the last twelve years. This must stop if we are to preserve the integrity of BARC. Prior to your review. GSAs Federal Property Resources Services conducted a utilization survey in October 1978. BARC developed a comprehensive masterplan that was wellreceived by the National Capital Planning Commission. adjoining federal installations. state and local governments and local community residents. Parcel 5. an area of about 13 acres. was designated for "turf experiments." The NCPC recommended that the parcel be identified for administrative or more intensive research use. in view of the excellent location of the site on U.S. Route 1. close to the administrative center of BARC and the National Agricultural Library. It is critical that this northern boundary for BARCs landholdings be restricted from detrimental commercial development. Parcel 13. an area of about 247 acres. was designated in 1979 for a variety of farm research uses. floodplain protection area and future road corridor. This is a very sensitive location. It is within 0.1 miles of herbicide and insecticide research plots. 0.8 miles from the FDA complex. 0.3 miles from the Treasury Departments Security Training Facility. 1.3 miles from the USDA Plant Quarantine and Introduction Station. 0.3 miles from the USDA sewage sludge site. and 1.9 miles from the Goddard Space Flight Centerss optical (laser) site. The negative impact from incompatible land use to property adjacent to this research campus would be irreversible because: 1. Security to both the facility and local residents would be reduced. Theft and vandalism pose a serious threat to sensitive projects. On the other hand. herbicides and pesticides could pose health problems to those who inadvertently encroach on the research areas. 2. Increased traffic patterns would conversely increase air pollutants and seismic shocks. The Goddard Space Flight Centers optical site is not compatible with even moderate traffic volume. 3. Removal of natural. wooded buffers would permit air pollutants to damage vegetation crops. 4. Highintensity land use causes stream pollution. This parcel has been defended by those most capable of making such a determination. and they are the scientists and research staff at BARC. The cumulative effect would be an overall decay in the value of BARC for national research purposes. I have already mentioned several instances where agencies other than BARC have a great interest in adhering to the 1979 masterplan. More specifically. they are: the GSFC which operates three extremely sensitive research facilitiesoptical site. magnetic test site. antenna range. OSFCs main campus lies at the southern perimeter of the federal complex. Secondly. EPA has facilities and test plots within the campus. The Fish and Wildlife Service operates many sensitive programs. such as endangered species research. studies on pesticide impacts on game and nongamewildlife populations and studies of field populations of game and nongame species. I believe this "multiagency" use of land in the Beltsville area is wise and costeffective. Research equipment and support services involving high technology have been shared. This pattern of interagency Cooperation should be encouraged and expanded. These relationships were possible due to longrange masterplanning by the aforementioned federal agencies. in conjunction with the National Park Service. the City of Greenbelt. the Maryland State Department of Natural Resources and the Maryland National Park and Planning Commission. I hope you will carefully consider and review all the points I have raised before you propose to alter one acre of a research complex with the proven track record and potential associated with BARC. With best wishes. Sincerely.