DERA cuts impact CalEPA DTSC

[Don Zweifel <zweifel@chapman.edu>]

To whom it may concern:

Regarding Defense Environmental Restoration Account or DERA proposed cuts
of $90 million for fiscal year 1998 to commence on 1 Oct. 1997.

The Senate Armed Services Committee members have recommended removing $60
million from the "program administration" budget. This directly impacts
CalEPA's Department of Toxic Substances Control public participation
specialists in the most deleterious way.

We rely upon these people to monitor Restoration Advisory Board
proceedings and to make recommendations when the procedure falters.

Any curtailment of this funding jepardizes the implementation of the
President's Five-Point Plan for fast-track closure. Believe this
executive order may not be countermanded except by a direct act of
Congress. 

We therefore declare that this particular action by the Senate Armed
Services committee, which appears to be designed to prevent actualization
of the President's plan, is seemingly tantamount to a declaration of
belligerency against our environment and ultimately to its citizenry.

We're entitled to have sufficient funding to see through to fruition base
closure with adequate oversight in a most expeditious manner, as long as
it does not adversely and appreciably affect national security interests.

CalEPA's toxicologists, geologists and civil engineers have a task to
perform and that is to review all findings and stipulations by the prime
and subcontractors via their remedial investigations, field studies and
record of decision reports. Their oversight provides invaluable assistance
to the service branches, contractors and the USEPA because errors of
omission and even commission cannot always be ferreted out by just one
review of the documentation.

The RAB's have also been mandated to perform oversight as an additional
check on the accuracy of these reports. This augmented evaluation
eventually assists community understanding and ultimately probable
public acceptance of the determinations. Fairly important wouldn't one
think?

We conjecture that this ostensibly capricious and arbitrary decision will
most likely cause the curtailment of practically all significant oversight
at closing military bases by our state regulatory agency, the CalEPA's
Department of Toxic Substances Control or DTSC, not to mention the
other 49 states.

Don't the People and our congressional representatives and senators want
watchdogs observing and "guarding" our national assets or do they just
want lapdogs too toothless and lifeless to perk up their ears and sit up
and take notice?

Do these suppositions seem plausible or implausible to you?

 Don Zweifel

P.S.: The CalEPA DTSC Advisory Group has also been severely impacted by
the shortfall in DERA budgeting for FY 1997. We haven't had a meeting
since last year and for all intents and purposes has ceased to exist
except in name only.

This advisory body provided much sound advice over the years but now the
only voice we have is via the invaluable careerpro conference 
military-environmental net.

 D.Z.