Sec. 345 in FY98 Defense Auth. Bill

[Polly Parks <pparks@igc.org>]

Congress has passed the FY98 Defense Authorization Bill which contains
important language for overseas base cleanup. The bill still needs to be
signed by the President. There are not controversial sections.

Section 345: ANNUAL REPORT ON ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE

Section 2706 of title 10, United States code, is amended --\

(1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (c); and

(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new subsection (d):

"(d) Report on Environmental Activities Overseas--(1) The Secretary of
Defense shall submit to Congress each year, not later than 30 days after the
date on which the President submits to Congress the budget for a fiscal
year, a report on the environmental activities of the Department of Defense
overseas.

"(2) Each such report shall include a statement of the funding levels during
such fiscal year for each of the following categories:

"(A) Compliance by the Department of Defense with requirements under a
treaty, law, contract, or other agreement for environmental restoration or
compliance activities.

"(B) Performance by the Department of Defense of other environmental
restoration and compliance activities overseas.

"(C) Performance by the Department of Defense of any other overseas
activities related to the environment, including conferences, meetings, and
studies for pilot programs, and travel related to such activities."

Other overseas environmental language: 

1. Appropriations accepted the Canada deal; however Authorization rejected
it. Since there is no implementing language, it will not go forward this year. 

2. The Navy met their requirement to produce a report (contained in the
House Approp. bill earlier this year). Authorization has now directed DoD
to submit a report on any remaining environmental effects of the presence of
the Armed Forces of the United States in Bermuda.

3. There was a sense of the Congress section which follows. A Sense of
Congress is not binding but rather serves as a congressional warning. Its
intent is to curb extraneous travel overseas.

Section 347. Sense of Congress on Deployment of United States Armed Forces
Aborad for Environmental Preservation Activities.

(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS--It is the sense of Congress that members of the
Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps should not be deployed outside the
United States to provide assistance to another nation in connection with
environmental preservation activities in that nation, unless the Secretary
of Defense determines that such activities are necessary for national
security purposes.

(b) Scope of Section.--For purposes of this section, environmental
preservation activities do not include any of the following:

(1) Activities undertaken for humanitarian purposes, disaster relief
activities, peacekeeping activities, or operational training activities.

(2) Environmental compliance and restoration activities associated with
military installations and deployments outside the United States.

Polly Parks