[CPEO-MEF] DOD may seek ESA exemption

[Steve@miltoxproj.org]

Hello all:

On Tuesday, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) released
documents showing that the Navy will seek exemptions from several
environmental laws.  The release is available on the PEER web site at:
http://www.peer.org/press/174.html

There is a story in today's Greenwire about the issue, clipped below.

     
     
     
      On Tuesday, PEER released "Pre-Decision Working Papers" from DOD,
titled "Maritime Sustainability Issues and Action Plan," that list five
environmental laws -- the Marine Mammal Protection Act, ESA, National Marine
Sanctuaries Act, Coastal Zone Management Act and Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries
Conservation and Management Act -- and two executive orders from former
President Clinton on coral reefs and marine protected areas that "impact DOD
operations, training and testing in the marine environment in order of their
severity," according to the documents, dated Dec. 17, 2000. 

      Moreover, another document that was too confidential for PEER to
release in full lays out specific amendments that DOD will seek from ESA,
including: 

        a.. allowing the secretary of Defense to exempt DOD from ESA
compliance for reasons of "national security or mission readiness"; 
        b.. prohibiting critical habitat designations on DOD land; 
        c.. allowing incidental take of listed wildlife when DOD can
demonstrate an increase in the species' population; 
        d.. limiting the need for consultation with the Fish and Wildlife
Service or National Marine Fisheries Service when a listed species may be
affected by DOD action; 
        e.. shortening the time limits for immediate consultation; 
        f.. allowing DOD to further ESA goals only when those actions are
consistent with DOD's primary mission; and, 
        g.. placing DOD representatives on species recovery teams. 
     

Steve Taylor
National Organizer
Military Toxics Project
(207) 783-5091

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~