From: | Aimee Houghton <aimeeh@igc.org> |
Date: | Mon, 01 Jul 1996 19:39:30 -0700 (PDT) |
Reply: | cpeo-military |
Subject: | FORT ORD'S TOXIC LEGACY |
From: Aimee Houghton <aimeeh@igc.org> ************ Warning: This Is A Long Article ************** FORT ORD'S TOXIC LEGACY June 24, 1996 By Nicholas Whirehead The environmental cleanup of the former Fort Ord base may turn into a dangerous fiasco threatening the health, safety, and economic viability of Monterey Bay area for decades to come, as the Army seeks to hand over its contaminated buildings and property in an unsafe condition to home-builders, school districts, business developers, universities, and a whole host of other unwitting recipients. Following its own plan and guidelines, with virtually no unbiased monitoring, the Army plans to maneuver the majority of the accumulated toxins into a single landfill location called a Corrective Action Management Unit (CAMU), and then enclose the "witches' brew" into a Chernobyl-style, sealed solid pot that will have to be watched forever. Hopefully it will never leak, or worse "boil over". Such risky procedures alarm Curt Gandy, Director of the Fort Ord Toxics Project, a former union Health and Safety Officer, who has been elected to Co-Chair Fort Ord's Restoration Advisory Board (RAB), along with an Army Co-Chair appointed by the Army's Garrison Commander. The Fort Ord RAB is the "citizens oversight" committee required by a directive issued by the Secretary of Defense to the Army, in September of 1993. Gandy says, "According to the Secretary of the Army, our citizens review committee (the RAB) is suppose to be 'fully involved' in the 'risk ranking', and 'cleanup prioritization' of contaminated land parcels and structures being transferred to the public. The Army guidance also states that the citizens oversight committee (the RAB) is suppose to advise the Army, and the Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA) as to the 'suitability of property for transfer' and its future reuse." Additionally, he asserts that the RAB should be "participating fully in the Army's budgeting process for accomplishing these cleanup tasks." He says, "the RAB has a budget of $120,000 dollars for FY 1996 and should be conducting studies to advise the Army, the Base Cleanup Team (BCT) and the public regarding the Army's proposed cleanup levels, and project priorities.' The BCT is the decision making body that "negotiates" with the Army, the cleanup timelines, and target cleanup goals. The federal and state regulatory members of the BCT are responsible for enforcing any reuse restrictions that will inevitably result based on a less than complete cleanup. The Base Cleanup Team (BCT) is made-up four members, they represent the US-EPA, two State of California agencies, and the US Army. Gandy, a dedicated and determined environmentalist and labor representative worked on Fort Ord for over a decade, and has been involved in environmental and labor issues at the former Army base since the mid 1980s. He is at odds with Congressman Sam Farr's and other local political official's concurrence with the Army's existing base cleanup process. Gandy explains that wider public scrutiny of the Fort Ord cleanup, and related reuse plan is sorely needed. President Clinton's 1993 directive known as "The President's Five Part Plan for Closing Bases" established a process for the cleanup and conversion of closing military bases. Gandy believes greater public awareness and involvement in the cleanup and conversion of the Fort Ord Superfund site will ensure a safer, saner, more reasonable, cleanup and conversion plan, that will be environmentally and economically sustainable for our region. He asserts, "if you give the public all of the facts, they will make the right decisions." Regarding local citizens and public participation Gandy points out, "The Army has been directed by the President, Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of the Army to involve our local citizens and the public in the oversight and planning of the cleanup and reuse of this former Army base; yet at the installation level, here at Fort Ord, the Army has gone out of its way to confuse and debase any true community involvement through the RAB by controlling the access to basic information." He claims the Army has effectively stifled citizens and RAB members oversight efforts, and their attempts to be meaningfully involved in the cleanup process by poor administrative support to the Board, and keeping the members tied-up with procedural issues that do not address the issues of adequate cleanup. "What people need to understand," he says, "is if the Army does not cleanup its' mess before they transfer property and leave here, California taxpayers will be paying to clean it up for years to come and we will be paying for it twice." He adds, "The Army does not want watchdogs, they want lapdogs !' Gandy doubts the safety and environmental stability of the "recreational areas" being planned for public use on Fort Ord. The Army has fired tons of copper jacketed, lead bullets into the 7 miles of Army controlled coastal sand dunes, bordering the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary. The Army's "proposed plan" to remove the lead contamination resulting from decades of target practice, will leave a lead contamination level (1,860 ppm), nearly twice the California's legal threshold (1,000 ppm) that establishes the dunes area as a hazardous waste site for lead. "Knowing the FORA Reuse Plan calls for an 'Asilomar-like' State Park with camping, picnicking and other recreational uses," Gandy says, "it is unbelievable that the Army proposes allowing family camping on what will essentially be a hazardous waste site for lead according to California law." He also doubts the quality, and availability of a future drinking water supply, contaminated by military solvents. In one case the validity of "confirmation tests" on water and soil samples taken at Fort Ord are in question. The tests performed by NETI labs of Santa Rosa, an environmental contractor working for the Army, has been suspended by the US-EPA following allegations it falsified its test results. Other matters of contention are local contracting, the illegal bypassing of local job seekers trained for hazardous materials cleanup work, and the allocation of military housing and jobs to those willing to maintain an environmental "vow of silence". The Monterey County Herald, (June 21st 1996), announced the Fort Ord Reuse Authority's "public hearing" on the Fort Ord Reuse Plan, and its Environmental Impact Report (EIR). FORA released the four volume set, available to the public at $120 dollars per copy, on May 31st, 1996. The "public comment" period closes 45 days after that date, on July 15th, 1996. If you find these issues disturbing, you are but one of the growing number of concerned citizens who are demanding examination of these, and other very serious environmental cleanup and redevelopment issues which are not adequately being addressed by the Army, and the FORA Board. Attend the FORA "public hearing" on the Fort Ord Reuse Plan and the Environmental Impact Report, a public hearing is required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It is scheduled for Monday, July 1st, 1996, at the Oldemeyer Center on Hilby Ave., in the City of Seaside. The meeting is from 7 PM - 9 PM. Request in writing, a 90 day extension of the public comment period on the Environmental Impact Report (EIR). In addition, concerned citizens should request in writing, a 90 day extension of the public comment period and a public hearing for each of the Army's two Proposed Plans for the Fort Ord Superfund cleanup Record Of Decision (ROD). The current public comment periods for both of the Army's Proposed Plans, including Site 3, the beach firing ranges closes on July 8th, 1996. These two Proposed Plans are the first of several cleanup proposals that will be forth coming from the Army, to address other contaminated land parcels on the Fort Ord Superfund site. Each Proposed Plan must be reviewed by the public, for at least 30 days, and a public hearing held if the public requests one, prior to the signing of a Record of Decision (ROD) on each Superfund site. For more information and assistance call the Fort Ord Toxics Project at (408) 375-9464 (Voice/ Fax), or e-mail FOTP at < cgumbi@aol.com > {Contributed by Nicholas Whitehead, member of the Regional Alliance for Progressive Policies (RAPP)} >> | |
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