Letter to Dep. Sec. of Defense of E

[Gawain Kripke <gkripke@Essential.ORG>]

Subject -- Letter to Dep. Sec. of Defense of Enviro. Funds

The following letter has been sent to the Deputy Secretary of Defense,
John Deutch. As of 12/21, sources indicate no decision has been made
about proposed cuts to environmental programs in the defense budget.

Thanks to all the signers, to Lenny, and

BEGIN LETTER
 PLEASE SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP
 AND COMPLIANCE FUNDING
 December 20, 1994 The
Honorable John M. Deutch
Deputy Secretary of Defense
The Pentagon
Room 3E944
Washington, DC 20301

Dear Sir:
 The undersigned individuals and organizations urge you to support
funding for Department of Defense environmental funding at levels
necessary to fulfill the Department's commitments to communities and its
legal obligations. Recent news reports suggest that the Department of
Defense may cut its funding request for fiscal year 1996 and the 1997
planning figure substantially below levels suggested by the Environmental
Security office.
 Many of us represent communities that are bearing the brunt of
hazardous waste contamination and other pollution from domestic Defense
Department facilities. Over a period of decades, Defense environmental
practices have undermined our health, environment, and economic prospects.
That is, we have been "dumped upon" by the very forces that are supposed
to protect us.
 Over the last few years, however, the Defense Department
Environmental Security office and the armed services have increased
cleanup, compliance, and other environmental programs. Gradually, they
are making progress toward winning the respect and support of base
neighbors and employees. Increasingly, Defense communities are being
treated as partners, not adversaries. Stakeholder participation and
streamlined oversight are outstanding examples of that new partnership.
 We are deeply concerned, however, that drastic cuts in Defense
environmental programs will undermine that spirit of partnership.
Cleaning up and reducing pollution will become more contentious, less
effective, and much more costly.
 Maintaining adequate funding will, on the other hand, enable all
parties to continue their joint efforts to make cleanup cheaper, faster,
safer, and better.
 Sincerely,

 Dennis Argent, President
 James Burns, Vice-President
 William Skubi, Secretary
 Steve Johnson, Associate Director Whidbey Islanders for a Sound
Environment
Domenick Bertelli Workplace Economic Conversion Action Network
Gregory A. Bischak, PhD National Commission for Economic Conversion and
Disarmament
 Brainard Bivens Arkansas Common Ground, living near or affected by Pine
Bluff Arsenal
 Saul Bloom
 Arms Control Research Center
 Doug Bogen Clean Water Action, living near or affected by Pease Air Force
Base and Portsmouth Naval
 Shipyard
 Dorothy Brooks-Ange Military Families Support Network, Inc., living near
or affected by Fort Bragg
 Grace Bukowski Rural Alliance for Military Accountability
 Leslie Byster Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, living near or affected by
Moffett Field
 Robin Caiola, co-director
 20/20 Vision National Project
 Robert L. Campbell, Executive Director
 Trinity Post 7-45 (Atomic Veterans)
 Roger Cole Seacoast Anti-Pollution League, living near or affected by
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
 Rene Cook living near or affected by Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge
 Sharon Cooper Western Oklahoma Environmental Services (WOES)
 Tina Daly
 living near or affected by Valley Forge
 Jefferson H. Dickey, MD Human Health and the Environment Project, New
England Physicians for Social
 Responsibility
 Jorge Emmanuel, PhD Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Oakland, CA*
 ARC-Ecology, San Francisco, CA* US Working Group for Philippine Bases
Cleanup*
 Susan Falkoff Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety, living near or
affected by Watertown Arsenal
 Curt Gandy Fort Ord Toxics Project, living near or affected by Fort Ord,
Naval Post-Graduate School
 (Monterey, CA), Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center
of Presidio
 Monterey
 Kathy Grandfield Missouri Toxics Activists Network, living near or
affected by Whiteman Airforce Base
 Dr. Howard Gunn East Mississippi Multi-County Safe Environment
Association, living near or affected by
 Columbus Air Force Base
 Myrna Hayes, Chair Save San Pablo Baylands* Mare Island Restoration
Advisory Board (community co-chair)*, living near or affected by
 Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Skaggs Island Naval Communications
Security Activity
 Sue Hestor Citizens for Representative Government, living near or
affected by the Presidio of San
 Francisco and Hunters Point Naval Shipyard
 Peter Hille Kentucky Environmental Foundation, living near or affected by
Lexington Blue Grass Army
 Depot
 Cathy Hinds
 Military Toxics Project
 Dr. John S. Holmes Central Valley Safe Environment Network, living near
or affected by Castle Air Force Base
 Karyn Jones Citizens for Environmental Quality, living near or affected
by Umatilla Depot
 Gawain Kripke
 Friends of the Earth
 John Lindsay-Poland Fellowship of Reconciliation, Task Force on Latin
America and the Caribbean
 Damacio Lopez Progressive Alliance for Community Empowerment, living near
or affected by Los Alamos
 Sandra Lunceford living near or affected by Mather Air Force Base
 John M. Miller International Clearinghouse on the Military & the
Environment
 Laura Olah Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger, living near or affected
by Badger Army Ammunition
 Plant Polly Parks Board of Advisors of Grassroots International,
living near or affected by Otis Air Force Base;
 Watertown Arsenal Mall
 Tom Rauch American Friends Service Committee
 Irene Reyna, Petra Mata, Viola Conner
 Fuerza Unida*
 Helen Richick Aberdeen Proving Ground Superfund Citizens Coalition,
living near or affected by Aberdeen
 Proving Ground
 Murray Rosenbluth Oxnard Plain Restoration Advisory Board, living within
a quarter mile of the Navy
 Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme and affected by the Naval
Air Weapons
 Center at Point Mugu.
 David Rush, M.D., co-chair Greater Boston Physicians for Social
Responsibility Linda Schimmelfenwig living near or affected by Miramar Air
Force Base, Naval Training Center, Pendleton
 Judy Scotnicki living near or affected by Nuclear Metals, Inc. (Concord,
MA)
 Susan Shaer Women's Action for New Directions
 Seth Shulman, author The Threat at Home: Confronting the Toxic Legacy of
the U.S. Military
 Lenny Siegel
 Pacific Study Center
 Wilbur Slockish Columbia River Education & Economic Development, living
near or affected by Yakima
 Firing Range & Umatilla Depot
 Dick Smith Citizens for Responsible Ft. McCoy Growth, living near or
affected by Fort McCoy
 Sandra Steele living near or affected by March Air Force Base
 John R. Stone
 Michelle Sybert
 Citizens for a Better Environment
 Diane Takvorian
 Environmental Health Coalition
 Alice Tepper-Marlin
 Council on Economic Priorities*
 Maria Valenti, Executive Director New England Physicians for Social
Responsibility Ross Vincent, Chair Sierra Club Hazardous Materials
Committee
 David Walls Sonoma State University, Mare Island Educational Consortium*
 Jennifer Weeks
 Union of Concerned Scientists
 Craig Williams
 Chemical Weapons Working Group
 Donna Wong
 Hawaii's Thousand Friends*
 * Organization listed for indentification purposes only.

Gawain Kripke Internet: gkripke@essential.org

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