Former Pease Air Force Base, N.H. Originally established as a municipal airport in the 1930s, the Air Force assumed control of Pease Air Force Base, N.H., from the U.S. Navy in 1951. For the duration of its time as an active-duty installation, Pease served primarily as a bomber base, housing the B-52 Stratofortress among other aircraft. In 1988, Pease AFB was one of 86 military installations selected for closure under the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The base officially closed on March 31, 1991. Today the New Hampshire Air National Guard still uses a portion of the former base. Pease AFB is one of 40 former installations managed by the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Environmental activities Pease AFB was placed on the National Priorities List in 1990, resulting in a Federal Facilities Agreement with federal and state regulators. AFCEC continues to work closely with the Environmental Protection Agency and New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services to ensure environmental cleanup activities satisfy all regulatory standards while protecting human health and the environment. AFCEC has invested more than $166 million on BRAC cleanup actions at the former installation. The cost to complete cleanup is another $19 million. Property transfer AFCEC achieved whole base transfer in 2005. In 1992, AFCEC transferred 1,054 acres to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge which serves as a habitat to animals like the bald eagle. Pease Development Authority received acreage to create Pease International Tradeport, a business and aviation industrial park consisting of 245 companies employing 7,000 individuals. Path forward In 2011, AFCEC awarded a performance-based remediation contract with the goal of cleaning up the remaining AFCEC-managed sites to unrestricted use by 2020. (Current as of December 2012)