[CPEO-MEF] Environmental groups oppose legislation on Fort Huachuca

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

Arizona
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Environmental groups oppose legislation on Fort Huachuca
By Mitch Tobin
Thursday, September 4, 2003

Environmental activists plan to rally Friday at Sen. John McCain's
office in downtown Tucson to attack pending legislation that would limit
Fort Huachuca's responsibility for water use surrounding the military
installation.

The measure's sponsor, Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., says it's unfair to
hold the fort liable for water use beyond its direct control and argues
environmental regulations are threatening the fort's future.

Critics of the proposal say it will kill the San Pedro River — Arizona's
last undammed, free-flowing river. They say the fort's expansion and
accompanying growth around Sierra Vista will deplete the ground water
that keeps the river running.

Although environmentalists have been pressuring McCain, the Republican
senator says he doesn't support Renzi's measure.

"Sen. McCain does not agree with the current language as passed by the
House because it does not adequately protect the San Pedro River,"
McCain's office said in a prepared statement Wednesday. "McCain is
working on legislation that protects the river and acknowledges that the
long-term viability of the river" is not just the responsibility of Fort
Huachuca.

Environmentalists aren't satisfied with that. They say other senators
often follow McCain's lead and want the Republican to use his political
clout to assure that no exemptions will be granted to Fort Huachuca.

"Ultimately, only John McCain can stand in front of the forces Renzi
represents and stop them to save the river," said Robin Silver of the
Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, which has mounted a
sizable public-relations campaign on the issue along with other
environmental groups.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.fox11az.com/news/local/stories/KMSB_local_huachuca_090403.74056be0.html

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