[CPEO-MEF] Ft. Lewis range clearance

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Army auditors are calling upon the Army to do a better job of clearing
active ranges at its Ft. Lewis training base in Washington State.
According to Defense Environment Alert (January 16, 2001), "Army units,
as part of their training activity, are required to pick up and turn in
all remaining live rounds, expended brass, and other residue from fixed
point firing ranges." However, auditors who visited some of those ranges
found "'14 live rounds, 616 rounds of expended brass, and 24 other items
of recoverable residue.'" The auditors, supported by officers
responsible for the facility, recommended "that the Army reemphasize to
units the requirement to fully recover these materials as part of each
training event."

While the report points out a shortcoming in Army environmentral
practices, it also shows that the Army is now taking more seriously the
need to manage their ranges in an environmental sustainable manner.

LS
-- 


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


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