Update on DOD cleanup funding.

[gkripke@Essential.ORG]

Posting from Gawain Kripke <gkripke@Essential.ORG>

Following is a fact sheet I wrote up last week on the budget situation. 
At this point it is a little dated: The House today passed the Defense 
Supplemental Appropriations Bill (see below). I will try to post more 
info about the House debate and vote tomorrow.

Gawain Kripke

 MEMORANDUM
 TO: Interested Colleagues
 FROM: Gawain Kripke, Friends of the Earth
 202/783-7400 ext. 212
 DATE: February 14, 1995
 RE: Update on funding for DOD Cleanup Program 

SUMMARY: 
President Clinton's fiscal year 1996 budget request slashes Department of
Defense environmental cleanup funding from the level approved by Congress
last year. The release of the February 6 budget release kicks off the
budget process. Congress will now consider the request for FY1996 (next
year) and may also make changes to the FY1995 budget (this year). 

FY96: ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION SLASHED IN CLINTON BUDGET
 The Defense Environmental Restoration Account (DERA) took a serious
hit in the Clinton budget and is a target of the new leadership in
Congress. 

 FY95 FY95 FY96 [FY96 [FY96
 FY94 Clinton Approved* Clinton DOD Env.] Compt.]
DERA 1.96 2.18 1.78 1.62 [2.10] [1.87] 

* Proposed rescission could reduce FY95 funding. 

 The Department of Defense's Environmental Security Office internal
request for FY96 was $2.10 billion. However, the DOD Comptroller rejected
this amount and recommended $1.87 billion instead. In December, numerous
grassroots organizations and activists called on Deputy Secretary John
Deutch to support the higher level for the DERA account. The final
Clinton request, however is more than $500 million less than requested by
the cleanup program, a cut of about 1/4. 

 CLINTON ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY REQUEST
 FY1996 (in millions) 
Compliance
 (ongoing operations) $2,241 
DERA $1,622 
Base Realignment and Closure
 (cleanup & compliance) $451 
Conservation $148 
Pollution Prevention $356 
Environmental Technology $229
 TOTAL, FY96 $5,047 

FY95: DEFENSE SUPPLEMENTAL BILL GRABS CLEANUP MONEY
 On Friday, February 10, the House Appropriations Committee passed a
Supplemental Defense Spending Bill which included $3.2 billion of new
money for DOD paid for by rescissions in domestic and defense programs. 
The new spending is intended to offset added costs related to peacekeeping
operations. Rescissions include a cut of $150 million from the FY95 DERA
budget as well as a cut of $100 million from the Department of Energy
cleanup program. The bill is expected to go to the House floor for a vote
next week. The Senate has taken no action so far. 

OUTLOOK
 Concern is growing about the potential impact of budget cuts to
cleanup programs among citizen groups, regulators, state and local
officials, and Congress. California Governor Pete Wilson recently wrote
to Defense Secretary William Perry: "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 communities that are
struggling to redevelop closing bases.