Army reportedly to reduce environmental programs

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

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[I would be interested in hearing from anyone in the Army or elsewhere
in the Defense Department who is in a position to confirm, deny, or
explain this report. - LS]


For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 27, 2004
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
http://www.peer.org/press/465.html

U.S. ARMY JETTISONS ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

"Severe" Environmental Cutbacks to Make Up for Budget Shortfall

Washington, DC - Army bases across the U.S. have been ordered to
severely reduce anti-pollution and wildlife protection spending,
according to an internal memo released today by Public Employees for
Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

Citing mid-year fiscal shortages due to "fighting a war on several
fronts, maintaining combat readiness on others, and transforming our
warfighting force ?being executed simultaneously," Major General Anders
Aadland, head of the Army's new Installation Management Activity
command, sent a memo to all garrison commanders on May 11 ordering
immediate cutbacks in "discretionary" spending on items including
personnel, travel and training, as well as the environment. As for
environmental protection, Gen. Aadland directed -

"Take additional risk in environmental programs; terminate environmental
contracts and delay all non-statutory enforcement actions to FY05." 

"This is an order to base commanders authorizing pollution of American
soil when it saves money," stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch,
pointing to Gen. Aadland's "take additional risk' language. "Protecting
America's land, air and water is not a secondary mission that should be
shirked when budgets get tight."

In his memo, Gen. Aadland notes, "All reprogramming fences are lifted to
allow reprogramming of funds from?environmental or other accounts
restricted in previous FY04 funding guidance." While this will allow
funds that Congress appropriated for specific purposes to be used for
other purposes, it is not clear that Congress has approved this
redirection of spending. 

The Congress is now reviewing Pentagon requests for exemptions from the
Clean Air Act and federal toxic control laws. This year, as in the prior
two years, the Pentagon claims that these anti-pollution measures hurt
military readiness and that military safeguards are sufficient to
protect the environment. 

"The Pentagon asking for additional environmental leeway is like the
habitual drunk driver lobbying for liquor sales to be extended after
midnight," commented Ruch. "The Pentagon is now the planet's most
prolific and persistent polluter; its record makes a compelling case for
more oversight, not less." 

U.S. Army bases cover some 11.8 million acres in the domestic U.S., an
area approximately the combined size of Vermont and New Hampshire.
Military bases from all the services, called Defense lands, total some
25 million acres in the domestic U.S., an area approximately the size of
the State of Kentucky. 

###

PEER . 2001 S Street, NW . Suite 570 . Washington DC . 20009
Tel:(202) 265-7337 . Fax (202) 265-4192 . info@peer.org 

***

Original Message From: Aadland, Anders B MG Dir IMA


Garrison Commanders,

IMA presented its FY04 OMA mid year review (MYR) briefing to the VCSA
and ARSTAF on 30 Apr 04. The results of this briefing are summarized at
attachment read this first. The guidance from the VCSA was clear: (1)
Our strategy to execute SRM early was sound; (2) Do not deobligate SRM
projects to which we are committed; (3) We must develop and implement
efficiencies and economies of scale to prove the efficacy of IMA and
garner savings; and (4) We must reduce expenditures immediately to do
our part to get through this challenging year. In order to execute #4,
the following actions must be implemented upon receipt of this NETCALL
and will remain in effect until further notice:

1. Personnel Management:

a. Implement hiring freeze (for all appropriated fund (APF) employees
and all non-appropriated fund (NAF) employees who are reimbursed by
APF). The only exceptions are fill actions and retention of
term/temporary employees who are essential for support of
GWOT/modularity, or hiring actions in response to DA directed
military-to-civilian conversions where the military incumbent is
departing. The hiring freeze does not include internal promotions,
reassignments, and other personnel actions that do not result in an
accession to the IMA rolls or PCS move. Personnel actions that would
result in a PCS move or gain from a non IMA organization are prohibited
by this hiring freeze.

b. Release all temporary employees. The only exceptions are temporary
employees who are paid by GWOT funds. All other temporary employees not
directly involved in GWOT will be separated NLT 1 June 2004. Also, do
not extend appointments of term employees scheduled to expire this
fiscal year.

c. Stop student employment/summer hire program. This freeze precludes
hiring under student employment and summer hire programs; in addition,
student employees who are currently working or are scheduled to return
to duty for summer work must be released or remain in a leave without
pay status.

d. Exceptions: Requests for exception to the hiring freeze must be
submitted, with justification, to the Chief of Staff, HQ IMA, for
consideration for my approval. Formal commitments on job offers made
prior to the date of this NETCALL will be honored. Only VERANSIP actions
which preclude reductions in force (RIF) are allowed.

2. Civilian Training and Development: IMA will not fund military or
civilian training for the remainder of the fiscal year; however, that
does not mean we stop all training. We will continue to take maximum
advantage of training paid by ACTEDS dollars, which is still available
through career program channels and Army G1.

3. Conferences/TDY. All IMA generated conferences and meetings requiring
TDY of attendees are canceled for the remainder of the fiscal year. IMA
must not allow communication and teamwork to stop, and therefore must
employ VTCs and conference calls to the maximum degree. Exceptions will
be submitted to the IMA Chief of Staff for consideration for my
approval. The Garrison Commanders Conference and Stalwart Award
competition will be rescheduled for a date as early as possible in FY05.
IMA attendance at non IMA conferences will be recommended to me by
region directors or IMA Chief of Staff and approved only where deemed
mission essential. TDY will be severely restricted to travel directed by
higher authority or by region directors for support of GWOT or critical
mission requirements. Approved TDY will be restricted to a single IMA
attendee. Region directors will. approve all. TDY for the region; !11A
Chief of Staff will approve all TDY for HQ IMA.

4. Supplies. Reduce supply orders; deplete on hand supplies.

5. Service Contracts. Reduce contract scope and fund only through 30
October 2004.

6. Force Protection. Reduce contract support for force protection,
reduce security support functions, and stop all possible execution of
QLPR $ that are not critical to maintenance of requisite FPCON levels.

7. FY04 Facilities Reduction Program (FRP). IMA will truncate the
centrally managed FRP, reducing funding to level of payment for only
that demolition work which is already underway.

8. Information Technology (IT). Reduce IT support expenditures by 10%.

9. Environmental. Take additional risk in environmental programs;
terminate environmental contracts and delay all non statutory
enforcement actions to FY05.

10. SRM. Limit sustainment expenditures to repairs essential to
preservation of life, limb or property and payroll for on board personnel.

11. Services. Reduce/limit to provide only those services essential to
support an Army at war or critical to life support of supported population.

12. Tactical Equipment Maintenance. Perform tactical equipment
maintenance only to funded support levels stop or control work until
additional funding is provided. Ensure coordination with supported
mission activities and region director in all instances where work must
be refused.

13. APF Support of NAF Activities. Minimize discretionary APF support to
NAF activities. NAF cannot sustain the MWR programs in place of APF; do
not terminate existing APF support programs such as MWR USA unless you
discontinue the corresponding program.

All reprogramming fences are lifted to allow reprogramming of funds from
force protection, environmental, or other accounts restricted in
previous FY04 funding guidance. IMA RM will realign SRM to BOS as
approved in the IMA Funding Letter and balance total IMA BOS funding to
the DA Funding Letter position, reducing garrison funding for prior over
distribution that was based on anticipated increases from DA. IMA RM
will process your requests for reprogramming SRM to BOS as recommended
by your region director. IMA RM will realign funds to meet payroll
requirements among Training Enabler/Training Support and Airfield
Operations accounts. For garrisons that paid airfield operations from
Force Protection (MDEP QLPR) in prior years, DA has authorized the
continuation of this policy. In all situations such as range and
airfield operations where funding limitations mandate, reduce your
workload and expenditures primarily to civilian pay only.

I know that some of these actions will be painful; I also know you
understand that we would not go to these severe measures if we had a
choice but we do not. Although I hope these severe cutbacks are short
lived, I cannot promise you that we will not have to maintain them for
the remainder of the FY. These are extraordinary times for our Army when
fighting a war on several fronts, maintaining combat readiness on
others, and transforming our warfighting force through the Modularity
Concept are being executed simultaneously. Our installations have a
vital role in these unprecedented actions, and we must not fail. Again,
this is a team effort, just as we have achieved over the past 20 months
of supporting the war while standing up this great agency. All of you
must implement these actions now and ensure resources are best used to
support the war effort. I need your help to do all you can to control
costs, pursue efficiencies and cost savings, protect the SRM investments
you have already made this year, and mitigate the negative impacts of
these cuts to the Soldiers, family members and civilians who depend on
your installation for their vitality and life support.

I assure you, the IMA leadership will keep the department advised of our
funding status and continue to seek additional funding support as we
work toward FY04 yearend. AA 

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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