A local military watchdog said legislators should trust the BRAC process and not "unduly influence" the commission's decision on which bases to close by pumping millions of dollars into Hill Air Force Base.

"It's no doubt an effort to influence the BRAC committee," said Steve Erickson, director of the Citizens Education Project. "What are we going to do, get into a bidding war with California? That sounds like a losing battle to me. It's just a waste of $15 million dollars."

BRAC makes recommendations to the president and Congress as to which military bases should be closed. In past years, BRAC recommended closing Fort Douglas on the University of Utah campus and the Ogden Defense Depot.

The closure process has being going on since 1988, all part of military downsizing designed to save money by closing military posts that are redundant or nonessential. Closing the bases saves billions of dollars annually, said former U.S. Rep. Jim Hansen, who is rumored to have a slot on the nine-member BRAC committee.

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Contributing: Lisa Riley Roche

E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com