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City council authorizes U.S. Army access to Castner Range for munitions assessment and removal
Summary
El Paso City Council approved a resolution allowing the U.S. Army to enter city property near Castner Range to conduct environmental assessment and remove munitions and explosives of concern for up to 60 months, drawing public concern that clearance work could lead to future development.
The El Paso City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the city manager, or designee, to execute a Department of the Army right of entry to allow federal teams to perform environmental assessment and remove munitions and explosives of concern on city property north of the Castner Range in El Paso County.
City Real Estate Division staff said the right of entry would permit federal personnel to identify and remove any munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) and related contamination; the term of the entry will not exceed 60 months. Mary Lou Espinosa of the Real Estate Division explained the work in a brief presentation to council members.
The item drew a public comment from a resident who urged the council to block the work, saying that allowing the government onto the site would open the door to future development and undermine the area’s status as a national monument. Council members noted the decades-long effort to secure protections for Castner Range before voting.
Representative Canales moved to approve the resolution; Representative Limon seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
The resolution gives the U.S. Army permission to enter the specified city property to conduct the assessment and removal work; it does not itself approve any subsequent disposition or development of the land. City staff and speakers on the dais noted the clearance is intended to identify and remove safety hazards on former military-impact lands.
Council members did not enumerate conditions in the resolution that would alter the monument status for Castner Range; public commenters asked the council to refrain from clearing the site as a way to prevent future change in status.
The council’s action allows the federal work to proceed under the right-of-entry agreement; any later proposals about the land’s use would require separate public review and council action.
