From: | Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org> |
Date: | Fri, 08 Mar 1996 10:08:09 -0800 (PST) |
Reply: | cpeo-military |
Subject: | DOD ENVIRONMENTAL BUDGET - FY 97 |
DEFENSE ENVIRONMENTAL BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR FY '97 The Department of Defense Environmental Security Office yesterday briefed the press on its proposed FY1997 budget, $4.7 billion out of a total proposed Defense budget of $251.9 billion, or just under 1.9%. The figures, which are still being presented as estimates, are: Compliance $1,986,000,000 Cleanup (active and former bases) $1,333,000,000 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)-environmental $775,000,000 Pollution Prevention $309,000,000 Technology $204,000,000 Conservation $111,000,000 TOTAL 4,718,000,000 The combined base closure and cleanup budget total, $2,108,000,000, is up 7 percent from the final 1996 appropriation of $1,976,500,000, but it is slightly lower than expected. For the first time, base closure cleanup represents more than one third of the total cleanup program, at nearly 37 percent. There are two chief reasons: 1) Base closure cleanup has support from conservative economic interests, as well as "environmental" interests; 2) The BRAC '95 list of closures moved several large cleanup programs, such as McClellan Air Force Base (California), the Letterkenny Army Depot (Pennsylvania), Kelly Air Force Base (Texas), and the Savanna Depot Activity (Illinois) into the BRAC account. Is the Defense proposal enough? On the one hand, it appears high enough to maintain a credible program, if procedures are fully implemented to re-sequence projects based upon priorities established in cooperation with regulatory agencies and public stakeholders. On the other hand, base environmental officials are telling local communities that there isn't enough money to carry out planned activities. At active bases, delaying low priority projects is sometimes an appropriate response, but at BRAC bases where property is scheduled for transfer or reuse, delays increase economic hardship. I would be interested in hearing from readers: To what degree have cleanup budget constraints limited planned investigation or remediation projects at military bases in your area? |
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