BRAC 95 $$ IN JEOPARDY

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

BRAC 95 CLEANUP MONEY IN JEOPARDY

Because the 1995 round of base closures and realignments was not 
approved until after the fiscal year (FY) 1996 budget process was well 
underway, the funding for environmental restoration at those bases, 
including McClellan Air Force Base (Sacramento, CA), one of the 
military's most expensive cleanups, is supposed to come from the 
Defense Environmental Restoration Account (DERA), not Base Realignment 
and Closure (BRAC) funds. However, the BRAC law requires the money come 
from the BRAC account.

To ease the transition, the Pentagon has sought language clarifying the 
situation - that is, DERA should be the source in FY1996, with the 
money coming from BRAC in 1997. The Senate version of the Defense 
Authorization bill contained such a provision, but it was not in the 
House version.

Reportedly, Congress just might get around to passing a Defense 
Authorization bill before Christmas. A Presidential veto is possible - 
on issues other than the environment - but still the Environmental 
Security office is concerned that the provision is not in the current 
language, put together by the House-Senate Conference Committee, of the bill.

The Defense Department has formally appealed: "Environmental 
restoration projects in those bases affected by BRAC 95 are not 
included in the BRAC IV [1995 round] budget request, but rather in the 
DERA request. The provision would allow the use of those DERA funds at 
the BRAC 95 bases only in FY 1996. This will avoid the delays 
experienced with environmental restoration activities during previous 
rounds of BRAC and will not impact on the balance of the BRAC 95 
requirements by using BRAC funds budgeted for other purposes."