[CPEO-MEF] Goodman column on "encroachment"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

A 'Green' Military 

By Sherri Goodman

Saturday, July 20, 2002; Page A21
The Washington Post

Over the past few decades, sprawl and development, particularly in
coastal areas, have brought civilian life into much closer contact with
the military -- particularly its training activities, with their
attendant noise and environmental effects.

It has reached the point that some training ranges vital for preparing
U.S. forces for combat, such as Camp Pendleton in Southern California,
are also some of the last and best wide-open spaces in their regions.
Thus they are home to endangered species and to some of our nation's
most pristine natural areas. The Department of Defense feels the problem
has become so severe that it recently asked Congress to release the
military from compliance with a variety of environmental laws.

But in fact, the problem is not nearly as grave as this legislative
proposal from the Bush administration suggests. Nor, as the General
Accounting Office recently noted, has the Pentagon yet done much
systematic analysis or serious study of the effect of encroachment on
training and readiness.

As the Defense Department's chief environmental officer for eight years,
I confronted almost daily the tension that can exist between military
training and readiness and environmental stewardship. Yet, just as we
now know that we can grow the economy while protecting the environment,
we also know that we can conduct most training and readiness activities
while advancing environmental stewardship.

...

for the entire column, see
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35014-2002Jul19.html
-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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