Re: [CPEO-MEF] Unexploded Arms Require Big Cleanup At 16,000 U.S. Sites

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

I've been deluged this morning with e-mails of the Washington Post
article on unexploded ordnance (UXO). As someone who has worked for
years to highlight the UXO problem, I'm pleased to see the attention.

Unfortunately, the article is inaccurate and sensational.

First and foremost, I've never seen any document suggesting that there
are 16,000 inactive military ranges. Perhaps there was a typo. 1,600
seems more reasonable.

Second, the article suggests that government officials have not
acknowledged the extent of the problem. Though it's taking the Defense
Department forever to come up with a detailed inventory of sites, both
Defense and EPA have recognized and reported the significance of the
problem for years.

As a result, Congress has gradually increased pressure for munitions
response, requiring the inventory, separate reporting of munitions
response expenditures, and just recently, the centralization of program management.

There is, of course, much more to be done. There must be a mechanism for
regulatory agencies to require UXO cleanup. Technologies should be
developed and proven to address ordnance contamination reliably and
cost-effectively. There should be flexible national standards for site
security. And there needs to be a funding stream commensurate with the
size of the problem.

Lenny


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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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