[CPEO-MEF] Safety, air and water

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

Charlotte, NC
THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Editorial
Posted on Thu, Mar. 27, 2003
Safety, air and water
Defense officials haven't shown pollution rules hurt readiness

Issues of military readiness take on extra meaning nowadays. Even so,
Congress should be skeptical of a Pentagon request for exemptions from
environmental protection laws.

Defense officials say some environmental laws impede training and harm
combat readiness. Rules may limit maneuvers in some places during mating
seasons, they say, or dictate which beaches can be used for practice
landings.

They cite the example of Camp Pendleton, Calif., where they say mock
landings are restricted to only 1,500 meters of the camp's 17-mile-long
beach front. They add concern that a pending lawsuit could designate as
much as 56 percent of the base as critical wildlife habitat.

Against these and other problems the military last year sought broad
exemptions from environmental law. But the proposals came late in the
legislative year, and Congress dropped them. The Pentagon has returned
to the subject in this year's defense spending bill, seeking exemptions
from laws governing air pollution, toxic waste dumps, endangered species
and marine mammals.

This editorial can be viewed at:
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/5491609.htm

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