Tooele Army Depot's North Area had another nail pounded in its coffin Thursday when officials said President Clinton would accept recommendations of a base closure commission.
The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission was to formally present its findings to Clinton Thursday as required by law, but unnamed officials told the Associated Press he already had decided to accept it."The report looks solid," an official requesting anonymity said. He added Clinton made his decision before receiving the panel's report because its "work has been very public."
While Clinton has until July 15 to accept, reject or revise the list, he plans to send the list quickly to Congress on Friday, the Associated Press reported.
Congress will then have 45 working days to possibly reject the list, but it cannot amend it by law. If both houses fail to reject the list within that time, it automatically becomes law.
"No one expected Clinton to do anything different. No one expects Clinton to do much with the military. It's a slam dunk there," said Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, whose district includes Tooele.
"A resolution to disapprove the list may be introduced (in Congress). But you have to realize that for everyone who takes a hit, someone else benefits. So it will be about a wash, and I don't think it will pass," he said.
Hansen added he and most Utah officials feel it is time to move on and try to seek new businesses for the base facilities. "As far as I'm concerned, this divorce is final. Let's not patch this one up. In my heart of hearts, I believe things will work out for the better in the long run."
Hansen is planning to help that effort by trying to amend defense bills later this month to prohibit the Army from moving equipment at that facility to other bases to help make it more attractive to a potential buyer.
Last week, the closure commission recommended closing Tooele's North Area where trucks and other vehicles are repaired. The Army just completed a new $110 million high-tech facility to repair trucks there with modern assembly-line procedures.
The base will lose 1,942 civilian and 16 military jobs by the time final closure is expected to occur in 1997. The Pentagon estimates that will directly or indirectly destroy 31.8 percent of all jobs in Tooele County, the worst economic impact of any closure in the nation.
Tooele's South Area in remote Rush Valley - where 42 percent of the nation's chemical arms are stored and are scheduled to soon be destroyed - will remain open.
Hill Air Force Base is expected to gain between 291 and 341 more jobs from action either recommended or already planned and now allowed by the commission's list.
Hill would lose 150 to 200 missile repair jobs that would be moved to Pennsylvania and another 218 from transfer of a quarter of its F-16s to the National Guard. But it would gain 646 jobs from transfer to it of a New York engineering group and 63 jobs by gaining two training groups from Texas.
Overall, Utah would have a net loss of 1,617 to 1,667 jobs.
The closures come as Congress is seeking ways to save money. The commission figured closing Tooele's North Area will cost $73.7 million. But it is expected to save $51 million a year in operating costs - which would cover the one-time closing costs in about 18 months.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, may be the one member of the delegation who hasn't totally given up on saving Tooele. He contends the Marines lied about the high costs to close two depots in competition with Tooele, and has called for a congressional investigation into those figures.