Maine’s unhappy experience a decade ago with the closure of Loring Air Force Base probably means that the northern half of the state never will trust the process used to target bases. But the argument in Congress on the issue is over whether closures actually save the money promised. A new report from the General Accounting Office argues that base closures save even more than expected.

This is important because a new, fifth round of closures is not far off and the demands on military spending have increased significantly in the last six months. The GAO report, written at the urging of Rep. Vic Snyder of Arizona, is a detailed examination of the amount of savings produced in the four closure rounds, starting in 1988, the level of success in transferring the bases to other uses and the economic recovery of the surrounding communities. The findings should encourage Congress to allow the closure process to continue.

The net savings through fiscal year 2001, according to the GAO, is $16.7 billion, with an estimated annual gain of $6.6 billion starting this year. That annual savings is $1 billion more than the Defense Department estimated, and the GAO chided the department for not updating its savings estimates more regularly, as it has been instructed to do. The net savings does not include $1.5 billion in community assistance, and an additional $3.5 billion thought to be needed for future environmental cleanup, but those additions are relatively small compared with the overall savings.

As of last fall, Defense had transferred about 42 percent of the 518,500 acres of closed bases to local communities. The major obstacle, one that should prompt a procedure review of those bases remaining open for now, is the need for environmental cleanup. Military officials say they plan to increase the use of early transfer authority to move more land more quickly and let affected communities get started sooner on recovery.

That would be a welcome change. The ability of communities to rebound from losing a base, the GAO notes, is uneven, with some places still struggling, especially if the local business base lacks diversity or if the regional economy is weak. Overall, however, there was good news. The GAO estimated that two-thirds of communities recovering after base closure had lower unemployment rates than the national average and half had higher annual real per capita growth. The two statistics hardly make a complete picture but they at least say life is possible after the military leaves town. Loring, certainly, is proof of that.

No member of Congress wants to see a base close in his or her district, no matter how much military or economic sense it makes to close it. When the closure lists have come out, the affected members loudly doubt the estimated Defense savings. Now they have some proof that they have been correct – the savings have been even greater than stated. They’ll need to find a new argument.