Re: GOV. WILSON'S LETTERS TO PERRY

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

GOVERNOR WILSON'S CLEANUP LETTER

 Governor Pete Wilson
 January 25, 1995

The Honorable William Perry
Secretary of Defense
The Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-8000

Dear Secretary Perry:

 I would like to express my deep concern about recent 
actions at the Department of Defense (DOD) and in Congress 
regarding cuts in funding for environmental restoration of military 
bases.

 The recent decision by Congress to cut $400 million from 
the Defense Environmental Restoration Account (DERA) for FY95 
continues a disturbing trend begun last year when Congress 
rescinded $507 million from the Base Realignment and Closure 
(BRAC) Account. California was reassured that the BRAC 
rescission would not affect environmental work at closing military 
bases, but work was indeed scaled back at several California 
military bases due to the cut. The DERA cut presumably means that 
DOD will seek to postpone or eliminate environmental work at 
operational military baes.

 At the same time, the DOD Comptroller has announced an 
additional $437 million in cut for cleanup programs through FY97. 
Such actions can only encourage members of Congress who would 
like to redirect DOD environmental spending into more traditional 
defense programs.

 The continued erosion of cleanup funding inevitably will 
threaten the health of armed services personnel and civilians who 
work at military bases where contamination is present. It will also 
exacerbate economic suffering in commmunities that are struggling 
to redevelop closing bases. And, if the federal government will not 
meet its cleanup obigation, how can we expect private industry to 
do so.

 California expects DOD to comply with the federal/state 
cleanup agreements it has signed at California military bases. DOD 
is contractually obligated to seek sufficient fundsing to permit 
environmental restoration work to proceed according to the 
schedules contained in those agreements. California will not 
hesitate to assert its right under those agreements to seek fines, 
penalties and judicial orders compelling DOD to conduct required 
environmental work

 I would be happy to work with you to strengthen support in 
Washington for full funding of DOD cleanup work. One way to 
reduce oversight costs would be to delist military bases from the 
National Priorities List and give states the exclusive responsibility 
for overseeing base cleanups. Please do not hesitate to contact me if 
I can be of assistance in these areas.

 Sincerely

 Pete Wilson