[CPEO-MEF] Range Rule withdrawn

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Tuesday, November 14, at the Environmental Cleanup Stakeholders Forum in
St. Louis, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense (Environmental Security)
Sherri Wasserman Goodman announced that she was withdrawing the proposed
Range Rule from its ongoing review by the Office of Management and the
Budget.

The following two paragraphs are excerpted from her prepared
remarks,which are available on the Web at 
http://www.denix.osd.mil/denix/Public/ES-Programs/Speeches/speech-68.html

"There are many other issues to discuss, but I want to close by talking
to you about an initiative near and dear to many of you -- one we
started several years ago. We recognize the need to be better stewards
of our military ranges. The Munitions Rule addressed our active ranges
-- and we intended to have a Range Rule to guide our cleanup of closed,
BRAC and FUDs ranges. As you know, I have said many times that we
intended to have a Range Rule by August 2000. We did not achieve that
goal -- and I have withdrawn the Rule from OMB review.

"I am doing this for several reasons. First, we have some difficult
issues left unresolved with EPA. Foremost among these is the role of
explosives safety. The acute danger of unexploded ordnance demands a
safety regime that protects workers -- both civilian and military -- and
protects the public. Second, as ECOS and NAAG pointed out to us --
several years have passed as we sorted through and refined the draft
range rule. While we could continue to push our view of this problem, I
believe it has become necessary to step back -- and hear what all of our
stakeholders and state regulators have to say at this time. Third, as
Tim Fields and I developed the UXO Principles last winter -- and I
monitored their implementation -- and effect on our Range Rule
discussion, I concluded that we need a greater understanding -- a
consensus -- between all of us -- on the processes, tools, techniques,
and end goals of the UXO cleanup program. Having the Range Rule at OMB
excluded further input from our community and state stakeholders.
Finally, the Department has started a major initiative to define a range
sustainment program -- and I wanted to be sure your concerns were
included in this process. Over the next month, my Cleanup Office will
work with the Services, especially the Army, to define our way forward.
The dialogue starts with you here today."

At the forum Wednesday, the Defense Department circulated a fact sheet
and draft outlines for a Directive and Instruction intended to define
internal Defense Department policy for Closed, Transferred, and
Transferring Ranges Containing Military Munitions. The Department is
seeking feedback on the outlines.

When the fact sheet and outlines are available on the denix web site, I
will post the URL.

Lenny

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 222B View St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/968-1126
lsiegel@cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can find archived listserve messages on the CPEO website at 

http://www.cpeo.org/lists/index.html.

If this email has been forwarded to you and you'd like to subscribe, please send a message to: 

cpeo-military-subscribe@igc.topica.com

___________________________________________________________
T O P I C A  http://www.topica.com/t/17
Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics