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Politics & Government

FMERA, MOA, EDC: To Keep Up With the Fort, Better Learn the Acronyms

LRA develops MOA for EDC under BRAC. Don't know what any of that means? Neither did we so we looked it up for the both of us. You're welcome.

When it comes to jargon and acronyms, nobody beats the Army. Unless of course, you count the State of New Jersey and the federal government.

Patch knows that the redevelopment of Fort Monmouth weighs heavy on the minds of many residents. And we also know that it's hard to keep up with all those terms flying around in the news lately. That's why we have drawn up a handy dandy glossary for you. We'll keep updating this list as redevelopment progresses so we can keep our ABCs and BRACs in order.

  • BRAC - Base Realignment and Closure, the BRAC Act of 1990 set Sept. 15, 2011 as the deadline for closure or realignment of a list of military instillations around the country. The 1990 legislation represents the fifth round of closures and realignments aimed at making the military more efficent. 
  • FMERA -  Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority, "was created to provide investment, continuity and economic growth to the communities impacted by the federal government's decision to close Fort Monmouth," says FMERA. Basically, this board and staff are in charge of everything redevelopment related at the fort from keeping it secure to getting pieces of it on the market (or into preservation), one by one, until all 1,100-plus acres are accounted for. A process it says could take up to 20 years. This authority replaces FMERPA.
  • FMERPA - Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority, the predecessor to FMERA, designed the Fort Monmouth Reuse and Redevelopment Plan which is, according to FMERA, a "blueprint for action" to:
  • Promote, develop, encourage and maintain employment, commerce, economic development, and the public welfare
  • Conserve natural resources; and
  • Advance the general prosperity and economic welfare of the people in the affected communities and throughout the state.
  • NJEDA - New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the state entity, which overees, and staffs much of FMERA and its board, aims to develop and grow business in New Jersey.
  • LRA - Local Redevelopment Authority, the authority recognized by the state and the Department of Defense, as being charged with redevelopment, in this case it is FMERA.
  • MOA - Memorandom of Agreement, a standardized business document that military agencies use, which defines the contractual relationship the military will have with an entity like FMERA.
  • RFP - Request for Proposal.
  • EDC - Economic Development Conveyance. The Department of Defense gives an EDC to an LRA for the redevelopment of a military installation, after it has met certain requirements such as a sustainable plan for job development. This goes hand in hand with the MOA.
  • DOD - Department of Defense.
  • GIS - Geographic Information Systems, a sophisticated database that FMERA has commissioned from the Matrix Design Group. This electronic master plan will be used to negotiate with the Army, obtain the EDC, and market, plan and redevelop the fort properties.
  • NJDEP - New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. In the case of Fort Monmouth, the Army is required to remediate any environmental contamination that exists on the property or in surrounding areas (where it is proven that the source of contamination was the fort). The NJDEP, which has a seat on the FMERA board, will oversee the remediation. 
  • BEE - Baseline Ecological Evaluation, the NJDEP's term for the tests it requires of a person in charge of remediating a site, in this case, the Army. The remediator is required to do their own testing of the site to, according to the NJDEP, "conduct a baseline ecological evaluation as part of the process to ensure that the resulting remedy is protective of the environment. The Department uses the information that the person is already required to collect in the baseline ecological evaluation as the first step in determining whether or not natural resource injuries potentially exist as a result of a discharge at a site." The Army is conducting its BEE now under NJDEP supervision.
  • TAAP -The grant, called a(TAPP), is something the DOD awards to RABs after an installation closes. According to grant material, "TAPP allows community members to obtain objective, independent scientific and engineering support concerning the restoration process..." TAPP grants in the amount of up to $25,000 per year are awarded by the DOD, the brochure said, who hires a contractor to meet with the board to assist them in "participating more fully in the cleanup process affecting DOD intallations..." The grant does not pay for any new study of the site, but only for a contractor to review and explain to the public what data has already been gathered.
  • RAB - are made up of citizens and military installation employees. According to the Army, "Public RAB meetings are intended to bring together community members who reflect diverse interests to enable the early and continued two-way flow of information, concerns, values, and needs between the affected community and the installation regarding the fort's environmental restoration efforts."

Check back with Patch for more updates on acronyms related to fort redevelopment.

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