Groups seek end to state hearing on proposed Lewis howitzer range

Four environmental groups have asked the Adirondack Park Agency to terminate a special hearing on a proposed howitzer testing range in the town of Lewis and refer the application to the agency’s board for a decision. The groups are Protect the Adirondacks!, the Adirondack Council, Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest and the Sierra Club’s Atlantic Chapter.

The proposal involves testing a portable 155mm howitzer barrel assembly on a 100-foot-by-100-foot crushed-gravel pad. The assembly would be test-fired 30 times a year on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The proposal does not include explosive warheads; projectiles would be directed into a sand-filled metal container.

The groups’ motion cites disputes over whether an adjoining parcel containing a defunct Cold War missile silo is part of the project site, restrictions on a requested site visit and the applicant’s failure to submit pre-filed testimony by an Aug. 12 deadline. The motion argues the applicant has not met its burden of proof and that the APA board should make a final determination rather than further delay the hearing.

An adjudicatory hearing is required for the APA board to deny or substantially modify an application that has been deemed complete. The board could also approve the project, and any decision may be challenged in state Supreme Court.