Below if the House language on UXO that appears in their 2002 Defense
Authorization bill. You can view the entire bill by going to:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c107:1:./temp/~c107vmDAxb::
HR2586
Subtitle B--Environmental
Provisions
SEC. 311. INVENTORY OF EXPLOSIVE RISK SITES AT FORMER MILITARY
RANGES.
- (a) INVENTORY REQUIRED- (1) Chapter 160 of title 10, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
`Sec. 2710. Former military ranges: inventory of explosive risk
sites; use of inventory; public safety issues
- `(a) DEFINITIONS- In this section:
- `(1) The term `former military range' means a military range
presently located in the United States that--
- `(A) is or was owned by, leased to, or otherwise possessed or used by
the Federal Government;
- `(B) is designated as a closed, transferred, or transferring military
range (rather than as an active or inactive range); or
- `(C) is or was used as a site for the disposal of military munitions
or for the use of military munitions in training or research,
development, testing, and evaluation.
- `(2) The term `abandoned military munitions' means unexploded
ordnance and other abandoned military munitions, including components
thereof and chemical weapons materiel, that pose a threat to human health
or safety.
- `(3) The term `State' includes the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories and possessions.
- `(4) The term `United States', in a geographic sense, includes the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the territories and possessions.
- `(b) INVENTORY REQUIRED- (1) The Secretary of Defense shall develop
and maintain an inventory of former military ranges that are known or
suspected to contain abandoned military munitions.
- `(2) The information for each former military range in the inventory
shall include, at a minimum, the following:
- `(A) A unique identifier for the range and its current designation as
either a closed, transferred, or transferring range.
- `(B) An appropriate record showing the location, boundaries, and
extent of the range, including identification of the State and political
subdivisions of the State in which the range is located and any Tribal
lands encompassed by the range.
- `(C) Known persons and entities, other than a military department,
with any current ownership interest or control of lands encompassed by
the range.
- `(D) Any restrictions or other land use controls currently in place
that might affect the potential for public and environmental exposure to
abandoned military munitions.
- `(c) SITE PRIORITIZATION- (1) With respect to each former military
range included on the inventory, the Secretary of Defense shall assign
the range a relative priority for response activities based on the
overall conditions at the range. The level of response priority assigned
the range shall be included with the information required by subsection
(b)(2) to be maintained for the range.
- `(2) In assigning the response priority for a former military range,
the Secretary of Defense shall primarily consider factors relating to
safety and environmental hazard potential, such as the following:
- `(A) Whether there are known, versus suspected, abandoned military
munitions on all or any portion of the range and the types of munitions
present or suspected to be present.
- `(B) Whether public access to the range is controlled, and the
effectiveness of these controls.
- `(C) The potential for direct human contact with abandoned military
munitions at the range and evidence of people entering the range.
- `(D) Whether a response action has been or is being undertaken at the
range under the Formerly Used Defense Sites program or other programs.
- `(E) The planned or mandated dates for transfer of the range from
military control.
- `(F) The extent of any documented incidents involving abandoned
military munitions at or from the range. In this subparagraph, the term
`incidents' means any or all of the following: explosions, discoveries,
injuries, reports, and investigations.
- `(G) The potential for drinking water contamination or the release of
weapon components into the air.
- `(H) The potential for destruction of sensitive ecosystems and damage
to natural resources.
- `(d) UPDATES AND AVAILABILITY- (1) The Secretary of Defense shall
annually update the inventory and site prioritization list to reflect new
information that becomes available. The inventory shall be available in
published and electronic form.
- `(2) The Secretary of Defense shall work with adjacent communities to
provide information concerning conditions at the former military range
and response activities, and shall respond to inquiries. At a minimum,
the Secretary shall notify immediately affected individuals, appropriate
State, local, tribal, and Federal officials, and, when appropriate, civil
defense or emergency management agencies.'.
- (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended
by adding at the end the following new item:
- `2710. Former military ranges: inventory of explosive risk sites; use
of inventory; public safety issues.'.
- (b) INITIAL INVENTORY- The inventory required by section 2710 of
title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall be
completed and made available not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act.
Please note new phone number and address below.
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Aimee R.
Houghton
Associate Director, CPEO
1101 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036
tel: 202-452-8039; fax: 202-452-8095
Email: aimeeh@cpeo.org
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