[CPEO-MEF] Bill may hurt water cleanup

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California
DAILY BULLETIN
Bill may hurt water cleanup
By NAOMI KRESGE
STAFF WRITER

A rider buried in this year's military spending bill could leave Inland
Empire communities to foot the cost for cleanup of rocket fuel
contaminants in their water, some water officials fear.

The initiative, set to enter Congressional hearings later this spring,
is framed as a clarification of environmental laws to allow the
Department of Defense more flexibility to test and train for combat.

But the bill's opponents call it a get-out-of-jail-free card for defense
contractors whose decades of weapons testing have sullied the
environment.

The bill exempts munitions-related toxins from the jurisdiction of key
environmental laws governing cleanup, they argue.

The result could be a loophole for the companies responsible for the
plumes of perchlorate - a rocket fuel by-product - that have closed
wells throughout Southern California, water officials said this week.

"If the legislation goes through as written, our cities could be left
holding the bag, and the Defense Department and companies that are
responsible for the perchlorate contamination will be let off
scot-free," said David Sandretti, a spokesman for Sen. Barbara Boxer.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203~21481~1363614,00.html

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