DSB Report Briefing next Friday

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

DEFUSE AN EXPLOSIVE SITUATION!

Staff Briefing on Reducing the Cost of Cleaning Up Unexploded Ordnance

January 30, 2004

Dear Colleague,

Everyday, in every state, Americans are at risk from explosive shells,
bombs, and more subtle, but no less deadly, pollution from military
toxins.  Among the many threats to the security and safety of the
American people, the hazard of unexploded ordnance (UXO) - bombs and
shells that failed to explode during military training or testing - may
be found on or buried under the surface of more than 39 million acres of
former military properties.  According to the Environmental Protection
Agency, unexploded ordnance has killed at least 65 American civilians
and injured 131 more over the past 83 years.

A recent report by the General Accounting Office found that at the
current rate of funding, removing unexploded munitions and hazardous
waste could take more than 300 years. The Department of Defense's latest
estimate for the cost of cleanup is anywhere from $23 billion to $104
billion.  Cleaning up these areas will allow us to return millions of
acres to communities and local tax rolls or set them aside as scenic and
recreational open space.

In 2002, the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense created the Defense
Science Board Task Force on Unexploded Ordnance to examine whether
modern technology can reduce the cost of UXO clean-up and whether new
science can reduce the environmental impact of continued live-fire
training and testing of munitions at ranges across the U.S.  The final
report was released this month.

Join us for a staff briefing to hear about the Task Force's findings on
the scale of the UXO problem and how to reduce the cost of clean up and
the risk to our communities.

-      What: Defense Science Board Task Force on Unexploded Ordnance
Report
-      Who:   Dr. Delores Etter, Task Force Co-Chair, US Naval Academy

Robert Stein, Task Force Member and Consultant

-      When: Friday, February 6 at 1:30pm.
-      Where: 2456 Rayburn House Office Building

Please contact Janine Benner with Rep. Blumenauer's office if you have
any questions (x54884).

Sincerely,

Earl Blumenauer, Member of Congress
Gary Miller, Member of Congress
Sam Farr, Member of Congress
Ellen O. Tauscher, Member of Congress

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