Pentagon Appeals to White House on Pollution Limits

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LA TIMES
Pentagon Appeals to White House on Pollution Limits
Congress has denied the clean air and toxic waste exemptions. But the
Department of Defense says the laws could inhibit readiness.
By Elizabeth Shogren, Times Staff Writer
January 15, 2004

WASHINGTON -- The Defense Department, having won exemptions from three
major environmental laws in the last two years, now is seeking to be
excused from three more.

Requirements of the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Act and
the Migratory Bird Treaty Act already do not apply to the Pentagon. Now
it wants exemptions from the Clean Air Act and two toxic waste laws,
which Congress has refused to grant in each of the past two years.

So last month, the Pentagon asked the White House to let it fight those
battles once more, according to documents obtained by The Times.

Congressional opponents say that the proposed exemptions would cause
more damage than the previous ones because they would jeopardize human
health.

The military, however, argues that it needs the three exemptions so that
pollution laws do not get in the way of training exercises and other war
preparations. "We think those three are the three initiatives that would
probably go forward this year," said Bruce Hill, a Defense Department
contractor in the office of the deputy undersecretary for readiness.

Many state officials and congressional Democrats disagree.

"Once again, the Department of Defense is using the war on terrorism as
an excuse and an opportunity to jam through Congress broad and
unnecessary exemptions for itself from three of our most important
public health and environmental protection laws," said Rep. John D.
Dingell (D-Mich.).

The Clean Air Act proposal would extend by three years various deadlines
for the Pentagon to comply with health-based standards for ozone and
fine particulates. These air pollutants aggravate asthma, intensify
heart and lung ailments and cause early deaths in thousands of
Americans.

The other proposals would make it harder for the Environmental
Protection Agency and state officials to regulate toxic substances, such
as perchlorate, that seep into ground or surface water.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-pollute15jan15,1,6647057.story

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